The hip can be explained as a ball and socket joint linking the leg and the main part of the body. Hip pain, therefore, can simply be said to be a generalized term for pains or injuries that occur in the hip joint or areas around it. In some cases, it isn’t felt in the hips themselves but somewhere around it like the thigh, groin or knee.
As one advances in age, the cartilages in the hip tend to wear down or likely get damaged, which would inflict much pain on a person. The tendons and muscles clustered in the hip can become overused from strenuous daily activities. There could as well be a breakage in the hip bone due to a heavy fall or some other form of injury.
Hip pains can stand as a huge limitation to one’s activities and bring discomfort and unease to one. It could restrict a person from engaging in some things that make life happier and worthwhile, and if not properly treated, could cause a lot of harm to a person’s body.
COMMON CAUSES OF HIP PAINS
There are quite a number of abnormalities that could result in hip pains, which can’t be exhausted in this article. But here are some of the common causes:
This remains one of the most rampant causes of hip discomfort. Many a time, this is the result of engaging in too much exercise. It is usually painful and agonizing when it sets in, but it often heals in a few days.
There is the most common amongst hip pains. Arthritis is the inflammation of the joint where the leg and the torso meet. Arthritis mostly results in severe pains, difficulty in walking and stiffness of tender joints, which if not attended to on time, can cause serious damage to the victim.
Arthritis comes in various types which come with different symptoms: osteoarthritis (OA) which is a result of the wearing and tearing of cartilages in the joint relating to old age, infectious arthritis that results in the damage of cartilage due to infection, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which is the destruction of bones and joint cartilage when the immune system attacks the joint, and few others.
This is prevalent among older people and those suffering from OSTEOPOROSIS (the bones become weak and fragile as a result of old age). Hip Fractures often result in very severe hip pain and can cause greater harm if not given swift medical attention.
A surgery, and most times physiotherapy, is usually required for a hip fracture to be put in order. A number of complications can stir up owing to a Fractured hip, like a blood clot.
Snapping Hip Syndrome
Snapping hip syndrome is widely common amongst athletes and dancers, which occurs in the form of a snapping sensation or sound circulating the hip. This is evident when one sits or tries to get up from a chair. In most cases, snapping hip syndrome doesn’t come with pain, but when it becomes painful, it’s an indication that there is a tear of the cartilage in the hip.
SPECIFIC HIP INJURIES
There is no specific age bracket for the occurrence of hip injuries— it happens to old and young alike. People who engage in sporting activities are prone to experience hip injuries, as well as people suffering from obesity and lots more.
When an injury occurs in the hip, it often comes with severe pain and discomfort. Pain might as well extend to the legs, loin, etc.
Below are some common hip injuries mostly experienced:
BURSITIS OF THE HIPS
A bursa is a closed sack full of fluid found near major body joints like knees, shoulder and hips. Now Bursitis occurs as a result of an inflammation of the bursa. This could be a result of an injury or overuse of the muscle or joint. The pain Bursitis inflicts affects the outer part of the hip and is really painful and discomforting.
INSTABILITY OF THE HIP
This is another common hip injury that occurs resulting from a severe dislocation from a fall, or the in and out sliding of the ball from its socket, and possibly as a result of an accident.
Repetitive movement of the joint causes the labrum to stretch further and tear, leading to instability of the hip. These injuries are likely to cause severe damage to the hip joint.
LABRAL TEAR OF THE HIP
The labrum is a seal holding together the ball and socket together. Dislocation and instability of the joint occur when there is a tear in the labrum seal. The hip loses its easy mobility when this happens, causing much damage to the hip.
ARTHRITIS OF THE HIP
Arthritis occurs when there is a wear and tear in the cartilage surrounding the hip joint. The cartilage wears out and bones tend to rub against each other, causing severe pains. This is majorly suffered by adults above the age of 60.
PHYSICAL THERAPY OPTIONS
People with obesity or high body mass index are prone to suffer osteoarthritis, a type of arthritis. When the body gains extra weight, it strains the joints and causes harm to the body. Therefore overweight people are medically advised to work towards losing weight, maintaining a healthy diet, and engaging in exercise programs.
Taking medications for pain relief and engaging in healthy exercises goes a long way in curbing hip injuries. Some oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen help in managing inflammation that could be caused by arthritis. However, other drugs outside these are strongly advised against, as they could be a deterrent.
Health workers may at some point prescribe injections to help minimize the swelling and severe pain. Steroid injections also curb the occurrence of inflammation, but these pain reliefs are only temporal. Extending it for the longer term could react negatively.
EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL THERAPY
Walking, cycling, weightlifting, swimming, engaging in yoga. These exercises and more are healthy for the reduction of osteoarthritis risks, slowing its abnormalities and enhancing healing. Exercise is also vital for flexibility, strength and mobility. Exercises with little impact do not stress the damaged joint, therefore advisable for these patients.
OTHER ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO HIP INJURIES
Hip arthroscopy can be an alternative means of treating hip injuries through tiny punctures of holes. This encourages quick healing, bounce back to sporting activities and work activities.
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections have proven to be a trusted alternative to healing hip pains and injuries, where the PRP is gotten from the patient’s own blood then reinjected into the affected hip, thereby boosting the body’s healing capacity. This has been successfully used in the recovery of professional athletes and is guaranteed to work effectively.
DEVICES/ EQUIPMENT TO RELIEVE SYMPTOMS OF HIP PAIN
Hip pain can be a source of trouble, either it is just a light ache or a serious pain. Managing Hip pain does not require much stress as most people think it would, with an expert’s advice, the right treatment and suitable devices, it is not impossible to combat hip pain.
There are so many ways to treat, avoid, manage or totally cure hip pain and some of these methods include using certain devices that were created specifically to deal with hip pain. A few of them will be listed below to help you with hip pain:
This device is undoubtedly a messiah to people suffering from Hip pains. The Hip Trac™ is a compact, lightweight equipment used for maintaining a firm grip on the affected part of the hip. To use it, you must put the distressing leg on the device and gently use the hands to massage the legs away from the hip. This motion helps to reduce the amount of pain felt in the hip, improve movement and aids the hip joint to facilitate easier movement in the socket. This device is used to treat hip conditions such as; Osteoarthritis, Impingement, Stiffness of joints, tightness of muscles and femoral acetabular impingement.
Low back and Hip Pain Exercise app
This is an excellent app to prevent and treat Hip pain (and lower back pains) through exercise and physical training. This is an excellent method to treat your hip injuries as exercising the body helps keeps it fit, make the muscles stronger and healthier and reduces the risks of chronic or acute diseases. This app is one of the few ones that focus on the hips and lower back, and the aid they give in improving and intensifying strength and motility cannot be underestimated. It contains numerous exercise sessions and gymnastics, support from other users and trainers alike and a detailed illustration and displays to ensure proper execution of the exercises.
My Hip Injury App
It is a known fact that no app, no matter how efficient, can exceed a medical expert’s professional advice, there is no doubt that it can provide a small amount of assistance after a diagnosis has been given by the doctor. This app makes the treatment of Hip injuries look so easy and brings it to a whole new level with lots of beneficial properties and aspects which consists of:
Information on Injury
This perk gives minute and intricate information on your injuries, including detailed images, an explanatory description of the injury, causes and other things.
The app gives excellent instructions on how to treat and manage each injury, divided and watered down into different levels of treatment.
Workouts are included in the treatment scheme included in the app. They also include illustrations, videos and guidance to help the user.
Verilast Hip Technology
If the pain in your hips gets to a point whereby you need to get either a total or a partial hip replacement, technology has made enough progress to make this possible and doable. Verilast hip technology is a novel and a recently developed variant of hip implant that is more pleasant and is a good choice mainly for young people who is in need of a hip replacement. Verilast is definitely a good choice and does not squeak or make any funny noises and lasts for a longer period of time. It also guards against fractures and eliminates the risks of a future hip replacement surgery.
For people suffering from hip pain or are in the recovery process, braces are a great option as they aid you in going about with your day-to-day activities, as they can help with movement and mobility.
Medical Procedures For Hip Issues
While some types of hip pain can be managed and treated at home, some require surgery before the patient can truly be healed. There are different types of Hip surgery with each of them having different characteristics, below are some of the different types of hip surgery.
Open Hip Surgery
This is a type of surgery whereby the doctor makes an incision that is about 7 inches long. The hip is dislocated during the process and will be fixed to its former position after the surgery. This type of surgery makes it easy for the surgeon to treat injuries on the surface of the hip joint.
This is a less invasive surgery process that requires the use of small tools and a miniature video camera via small holes made by incisions to connect with the hip joint. This process is often used to diagnose different types of hip injuries.
This is a type of surgery that entails using special tools to get rid of any ripped, worn-out or torn pieces of soft tissues (oftentimes the cartilage) in the hip joint. By removing the worn-out pieces, a smoother surface is created to decrease hip pain and increase mobility.
Hip Labrum Repair
The hip labrum is a ring made up of soft tissues that encircles the hip socket. A damaged hip labrum might not heal by its lonesome, so surgery is often required as it poses a low risk and has excellent post-surgical results.
Hip replacement surgery
If the injury to the hip is too severe or the hip is damaged beyond repair, then a total hip replacement might be recommended by the surgeon.
Natural Remedies For Hip Pain/Injuries
Hip pain does not have to bring you down and make you stay away from your daily activities. It is very much possible to treat hip pain and injuries at home without the need to visit a medical expert. Basic home remedies work fine as well and they are easy to perform. Listed below are some of the homemade remedy for hip pains and injuries:
Refrain from doing activities that involve bending at the hip or squatting or exercises that put a lot of strain on the hips, you should also stop sleeping on your hip and sitting for a long time.
Medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), and naproxen sodium (Aleve) are known to possess pain-relieving qualities and decrease the chances of inflammation.
Cold and Heat
Using cold and heat remedies can ease hip pain as well. Putting an ice pack over the affected hip would relieve the pain, alternatively, you could also wrap some frozen vegetables in a bag and place them over the affected part would relieve your muscles.
Stretching your hip lightly would ease the cramped muscles and reducing hip pain, especially if the hip pain is caused by a strain.
If the natural remedies mentioned are not enough, you can try supplementing your discomfort with Natural Joint. It uses a blend of natural ingredients that gives you back your range of motion and alleviates pain/discomfort.
Hip pain could be an annoyance since it affects mobility and this simultaneously affects your productivity, but if handled well, it will not be a problem and can be treated efficiently through home treatments. If by chance, home remedies do not ease your pain, do not hesitate to contact your doctor.