Your hips and knees are the largest joints in your body, connecting a large number of muscles, bones and ligaments. That means that much of the daily abuse that your body takes can ultimately impact your hips and knees. And when these crucial joints begin to show strain, it can become difficult to move much at all — at least without pain.
For that reason, it’s important to seek medical attention for hip and knee pain as soon as possible. Often, physical therapy can be the key to avoiding surgery or prescription medication altogether, or rebounding quickly from those less conservative treatments.
How can I decrease hip pain?
Worn joints, pinched nerves, and pelvic rotation are the most common culprits for hip pain. Aging and overuse often cause osteoarthritis, but this painful joint disease can also stem from old injuries. Repetitive motion sometimes leads to hip bursitis, in which fluid-filled sacs around your hips become inflamed. Another possible reason for your hip pain is various nerves running to and from your hips becoming pinched.
Our physical therapists will give you a full evaluation to assess your range of motion, level of hip pain, and whether the discomfort also radiates into your buttocks, thighs and groin. Based on this evaluation and existing medical tests, we’ll work on flexibility and strength exercises, as well as give you movement strategies to manage the pain.
What can I do about knee pain?
Some of the same causes of hip pain can also affect knees, including arthritis and bursitis. In addition, sports injuries such as tearing your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can lead to severe knee pain, as can suddenly twisting your knee and tearing your meniscus. “Loose body” is another cause of knee pain; this involves bone or cartilage coming loose and getting in the way of joint movement. Finally, it’s not uncommon for knee pain to be caused by a hip or foot alignment problem.
Our highly trained team will evaluate your knee issue, including the location and level of pain, how far you can bend and move your knees and hips in various positions. In all likelihood, your physical therapy will consist of strength-building movements, as well as stretches and other flexibility-enhancing techniques.
Call us when you’re ready to begin working on methods for getting rid of your knee and/or hip pain.. Our dedicated team of physical therapists will evaluate your condition and suggest a course of treatment.