Conservative Hip Pain Relief
As a chiropractor, when I ask people to point to their hip pain, it’s very interesting to see the myriad of places people point to: the lower back, the hip pocket area, the side of the pelvis. , in the groin and more. !
This article will provide information on the human hip, some sources of hip pain, and present ideas related to conservative hip pain relief treatment.
The true hip joint is a ball and socket joint located on either side of the pelvis. The ball-and-socket part of the joint comes from the top of the thigh bone, called the femur. The socket part of the joint is an indentation on the side of the pelvis. The hip joint is the largest joint in the body. It is one of the few joints that moves in all directions.
The ball of the joint is held in the socket by strong ligaments. It is also held against the socket by a structure called the labrum. The labrum is a rubbery tissue that forms a rim around the outer edge of the socket. Sometimes hip pain can be attributed to a labral tear. This can be seen on an MRI. However, the fact that the MRI shows a tear does not necessarily determine that it is the source of the hip pain. In fact, one research study showed that 66% of a group of people without hip pain who underwent MRIs were diagnosed by board-certified radiologists with labral tears. Once again, these people had no hip pain!
Closely associated with the hip joint are the bones of the pelvis. The pelvis is not just one bone, but is made up of three. The two outer “wing” bones are called the iliac bones. The centrally located “coccyx” is called the sacrum. The joints between the sacrum and any of the iliac bones are called the sacroiliac joints. These joints are glide joints, but can sometimes become misaligned or move incorrectly. This can cause the pelvis to have improper and altered alignment and/or biomechanics of movement. This can cause pain in the sacroiliac joints and can cause associated pain in the hip joints.
Some hip orthopedic specialists may only focus on the hip joint when the patient has pain in this area. However, chiropractic doctors look at the whole person who has hip pain. Chiropractors are trained to identify the sources of hip pain that can arise in the lower back, pelvis, hip, or possibly in the knee, ankle, and foot. Using the information from a careful history, examination, imaging (where appropriate), and functional testing, allows chiropractors to offer a non-invasive, non-surgical, safe, and conservative approach to hip pain relief.