Lower Back and Hip Pain, Sciatica and Herniated Disc.

Hip Pain And How To Address It

The hip area is a strictly defined region. In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur which is known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. The hip joint, scientifically referred to as the acetabulofemoral joint, is the joint between the femur and acetabulum of the pelvis and its primary function is to support the weight of the body in both static (e.g. standing) and dynamic (e.g. walking or running) postures.
 
In my chiropractic practice I often see patients who tell me that they have pain in the hip. On examination they may have pain in the low back region, in the buttocks or in the sacroiliac joint. It would seem that hip pain can be difficult to describe and difficult to pin down to a specific problem.

One of the first things that I do in these cases is to ask the patient to have their low back x-rayed, This will include both hip joints. Other tests will be orthopedic, neurological and range of motion tests to see exactly which movements are both restricted and painful.

Let us look at some causes of hip pain.
 
1. Hip bursitis. This means inflammation of the bursa over the outside of the hip joint.
2. Osteoarthitis. This means wear and tear or degenerative joint disease.
3. Hip fracture. This means a broken bone.
4. Osteomyelitis. This means an infection in the bone itself.
5. Osteonecrosis. This means a restricted blood supply to the bone is causing the bone to break down and die.

Any of the above conditions require medical treatment and are not within the province of a chiropractor to deal with.

When do you need to call your doctor about your hip pain? If you are unsure of the cause of your symptoms, or if you do not know the specific treatment recommendations for your condition, you should seek medical attention. Treatment of hip pain must be directed at the specific cause of your problem. Some signs that you should be seen by a doctor include

* Inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
* Injury that causes deformity around the joint
* Hip pain that occurs at night or while resting
* Hip pain that persists beyond a few days
* Inability to bend the hip
* Swelling of the hip or the thigh area
* Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, warmth
* Any other unusual symptoms

Having drawn your attention to the need to seek medical treatment of the above conditions, let me assure you that other problems such as sacroiliac and low back stiffness and pain  frequently respond very well to chiropractic treatment. This includes pain that radiates into the buttocks and sometimes down a leg. This occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated as a result of a subluxation or fixated joint.

For nearly 120 years chiropractors have successfully treated most of these conditions and their patients have been able to resume a full and normal life.

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