Hip Pain

Understanding your pain and finding a way forward

Hip pain can affect how you walk, exercise, work and carry out everyday activities. It can be felt around the front, side or back of the hip and may sometimes extend into the thigh or buttock.

Hip pain can develop gradually over time or appear following an injury, change in activity or increase in exercise. Sometimes there is an obvious trigger, while in other cases it can develop without a clear cause.

Pain around the hip can have several possible sources, which is why understanding your individual symptoms and how they behave is an important part of finding the right approach to care.

At Castle Eden Chiropractic, we take the time to understand your symptoms, lifestyle and goals before developing a personalised approach to your care.

What can cause hip pain?

There isn’t always one single cause of hip pain. Your symptoms can be influenced by the hip joint, surrounding muscles and tendons, or sometimes structures in the lower back.

Common contributing factors can include:

• Changes in activity or exercise levels

• Running, jumping or other repetitive activities

• Gym or sporting activities

• Previous injuries

• Changes in training load

• Repetitive or sustained movements

• Irritation of the muscles, tendons or other structures around the hip

• Changes within the hip joint

• Symptoms referred from the lower back

• Sometimes hip pain develops without an obvious trigger. This does not necessarily mean that there is serious damage to the hip.

What does hip pain feel like?

Hip pain can feel different from person to person. You might experience:

• Pain at the front, side or back of the hip

• An ache or stiffness around the hip

• Pain when walking or running

• Discomfort when going up or down stairs

• Pain when getting up from a chair

• Pain during squats, lunges or other exercises

• Discomfort when getting in or out of a car

• Pain when lying on the affected side

• Reduced movement or confidence using the hip

• Pain that extends into the thigh or buttock

The location and behaviour of your symptoms can provide useful information about what may be contributing to your pain.

Could your lower back be contributing to your hip pain?

Not all pain felt around the hip originates from the hip itself.

The lower back and hip are closely connected, and problems affecting the lower back can sometimes cause pain to be felt around the buttock or hip.

Similarly, changes in the way you move or load one area can sometimes affect how other areas of your body feel.

This is why we may assess the lower back as well as the hip when you come in with hip pain. Looking at the wider picture can help us understand your symptoms rather than focusing on the painful area in isolation.

How can chiropractic care help?

Your first appointment will begin with a detailed discussion about your symptoms, health history and what you would like to get back to doing.

We will assess your hip and, where appropriate, other areas that may be relevant to your symptoms, such as the lower back, pelvis and surrounding areas. This may include assessing your movement, strength and how your symptoms respond to different movements.

This helps us understand your presentation and decide whether chiropractic care is appropriate for you.

Depending on your individual needs, your care may include:

• Hands-on treatment

• Manual techniques may be used to help manage pain and improve movement where appropriate.

• Exercise and rehabilitation

• Specific exercises may be recommended to improve strength, movement and your ability to tolerate everyday or sporting activities.

• Advice and education

• Understanding your symptoms and knowing how to manage your activities can be an important part of recovery.

• A personalised approach

There is no single treatment that is right for everyone. Your care will be tailored to your symptoms, lifestyle and goals.

Should I stop exercising with hip pain?

Not necessarily.

For many people, staying active and gradually building tolerance to movement can be helpful. However, you may need to temporarily modify activities that significantly aggravate your symptoms.

If your hip pain is affecting running, gym training, golf, football, cricket or another activity you enjoy, we can help you work out how to adapt your activity while you recover.

The aim isn’t always to completely avoid movement. Instead, we can work towards finding an appropriate level of activity and gradually increasing your strength and capacity.

When should I seek medical advice?

Most hip pain is musculoskeletal, but some symptoms require further medical assessment.

Seek urgent medical attention if your hip pain:

• Develops following a significant injury and you cannot put weight through the leg

• Is associated with an obvious deformity

• Is accompanied by significant swelling or severe pain

• Is associated with new or significant weakness or loss of sensation

• Is accompanied by fever or feeling seriously unwell

• Is rapidly worsening without an obvious explanation

If you’re unsure about the cause of your symptoms or are concerned about them, it’s always appropriate to seek advice from your GP or another healthcare professional.