Hip pain can make movement very difficult and uncomfortable and is seen more prevalently as people age. Numerous conditions can produce hip pain, such as osteoarthritis, an injury, or a pinched nerve in the lower back. A Sydney chiropractor can offer patients suffering with hip pain an effective alternative to surgery through manual therapy.
Chiropractic medicine strives to first determine what is causing pain and then eliminate it. It will be necessary to isolate the cause of the patient’s hip pain in order to effectively help him or her overcome it. Generally pain in the hip comes either from the hip joint itself or it is referred from the lower back. There may be swelling, inflammation, aching, burning, and limited mobility.
The chiropractor will ask the patient several questions about the pain and will conduct a physical examination. If needed, x-rays will also be taken. Once there is a clear indication of the cause, therapy will be planned. Sometimes the practitioner will also make some recommendations in terms of lifestyle changes the patient can make to help promote healing and prevent the condition from worsening.
The approach taken to therapy depends on the causative condition. The goal is to correct this problem and rehabilitate the joint. If referred pain from the back is responsible, adjustments may be used to restore proper nerve flow and alignment. An acute injury is often helped with ice to reduce the inflammation, whereas a chronic disorder may be better improved using massage or ultrasound heat to soothe and heal inflamed tissues.
Specific exercises can also be effective in helping to alleviate muscle tension and improve mobility; supervised exercise is more appropriate in this case. Passive range of motion exercises are those which the patient goes through with the guidance of the practitioner. These can help ease swelling and make movement easier.
If the patient follows the recommended course of therapy the Sydney chiropractor prescribes to him or her, the hip pain should begin to subside and it should be easier to move about. Continuing to perform specific stretches can help to prevent a recurrence of this condition. Reducing swelling is the most important objective as this can lead to painful calcium deposits around the hip joint which limit mobility.