The most likely cause of Hip Pain

The Hip Joint

The hip joint itself is a large and complex joint, this joint is almost as complex as the shoulder joint. What makes this joint unique is that it bears a lot of weight, but yet it does give you quite a bit freedom of mobility.  For one, the joint is made up of a ball and a deep socket.  The deep socket gives it great support, which unlike the shoulder you tend to see a lot of dislocations.  The ball part of the joint gives it freedom of movement in multiple direction.  Hence the socket allows you to stand and run on it, as well as allowing you to twist and pivot on it.

Common cause of Hip Pain

Given the high degree of weight bearing and stress through the joint, the number one issues for the hip is primarily osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis of the hip mainly results from regular wear and tear of the joint.  The lining of the hip joint is made up of cartilage which is prone to breaking down.  This produces unevenness of the joint, and at times leads to stiffness or cracking of the joint.

Below are several factors that usually increases the development or causes of hip osteoarthritis (OA):

• Age
• Sex
• Obesity
• Prior joint injuries (Sprains, Strains or Sport Injuries)
• Genetics
• Bone deformities

Hip Osteoarthritis (OA) pain management

Once we have identify that osteoarthritis as the source of our hip pain.  We must look towards the management of it as soon as possible.  Osteoarthritis can be a painful chronic condition that only gets worse with time.  Think of a grinding joint leading to pain, then feeding back into a very tight hip to cause more grinding of the joint.  This is a negative cycle of pain brought on by osteoarthritis.  It is best to go through a proper physiotherapy assessment of the hip joint to best determine a few things.  Knowing the current status of the hip joint, the level of wear and tear, as well as the ability for physical function.  In the end, through proper targeted exercises, pain management or combination of manual therapy can we break the negative cycle of osteoarthritic pain.