Hip Pain – Is it normal as we get older?

03 May Hip Pain – Is it normal as we get older?

If you’ve been to one of our mat-based group physio classes this week, you would have enjoyed (or endured!) a glute-centred workout. Our glutes (or buttock muscles) are incredibly important as they stabilise our hips and play an important role in stabilising and protecting the spine. For this reason, we often incorporate glute strengthening movements into our pilates-inspired workouts.

This week two of our wonderful participants needed a few exercises modified as they have been experiencing some hip pain.

Side note – one of the benefit of coming to our classes is that we can safely and effectively modify movements to suit your body!

After having a quick look at the way these lovely ladies were moving, and modifying their exercises, I recommended that they come in to see us for treatment.

Both ladies came in to see us in the same week (we LOVE it when people take our advice!) and we were able to start helping both women right away. Despite having experienced pain for different lengths of time (one for months, and the other for just 10 days), both patients showed strong signs of hip bursitis – a very common condition that we see when we treat hips.

Unfortunately, though, many clients do not come in to seek treatment when experiencing hip pain!

In fact, many people with hip pain believe that their pain is the beginning of osteoarthritis and think that it must be something that they have to learn to live with (part of getting older). For many patients, this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Hip pain is NOT a normal part of getting old, nor is it something that you have to “learn to live with”.

Hip bursitis is often accompanied by symptoms such as pain on the side of the hip, difficulty lying on one side, and pain when sitting in a low chair, and / or sitting with the legs crossed. Often, the hip can feel very stiff and pain can be experienced when walking (especially up a hill), or using the glutes (squatting at the gym and other similar exercises).

While hip bursitis is a specific condition that needs to be treated, it is often accompanied by an underlying cause… something that needs to be addressed to prevent a domino effect of different aches and pains!

It turns out that one of our patients had a very tight lower back that led to dysfunction and overuse of her gluteal muscles – causing the hip issue. By treating her lumbar spine we were able to decrease her pain (with the help of taping and our Laser). She was prescribed some special exercises to strengthen her hip so that she remains pain-free!

Our other patient had hip pain for a different reason – she has a leg length discrepancy. This is very common! When one leg is longer, that leg tends to carry more of our weight – causing it to work harder than it should. This is often accompanied by a slightly tilted pelvis which puts the hip joint under extra stress. Our initial treatment included a trial lift under the shorter leg (which worked brilliantly to reduce the pain) as well as needling, taping, and some specific exercises to balance the surrounding muscles and prevent future issues.

We are delighted to have been able to reduce our clients’ pain right away, and both clients are feeling much better now!

If you have sore hips it’s important to know that it’s not normal! You don’t have to put up with it… why not come in and let us use our physio- superpowers to help you too!