How many times have I heard people say to me “I’ve got pain in my hip? Or have I got arthritis in my hip?” says Jane Morris – Clinic Director of the Centre For Complementary Health.
Well pain in the ‘hip’ is a very common problem. Perhaps the first question should really be – Where is my hip?
Many people when asked this question would point to their bum / buttock / butt…. Whatever you call it. However, the hip is actually located in the centre of the groin.
So, have you really got hip pain? Surprisingly, hip problems can produce groin pain, they can also produce pain into the front of the thigh or the knee on the same side. One of most common cause of hip pain is osteoarthritis. Another cause of pain in this region is inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the joint, which can lead to the swelling of a small bag of fluid or 'bursa'. This known as trochanteric bursitis'. There are other causes of pain, but these are much rarer and relate to disturbances of bone metabolism.
Much of the time pain in the buttock or hip region is actually coming from the back and can affect a number of structures such as the disc, the small joints in the spine, sacro-iliac joints in the pelvis. Equally there can be imbalances in the muscles around the back and hip. Pain above the belt line is usually not a hip issue. Much of the time such back pain can be caused by various movement patterns that we do in our everyday lives.
So how would you know the difference?
Well, there’s no easy answer said Jane… and it needs to be assessed by a musculoskeletal specialist such as an osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropractor or even your GP, in order that you might be given the correct course of treatment / advice.
Pain in the hip region can be helped in a number of different ways, often with a combination of treatment and exercise rehabilitation.
Here at the Centre for Complementary Health we have a number of therapies with experienced practitioners that can help ease this pain and get you back on the right track so that you no longer have a pain in the bum!
See how we can help you with Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Alexander Technique and Acupuncture.
Phone: 01480 455221
Email: info@centreforcomphealth.co.uk