Identifying and Correcting the Cause of Hip Pain at Church Road Chiropractic
Living with hip pain affects every move you make – from getting out of bed in the morning to walking, sitting, and even sleeping. When your hips aren’t functioning properly, it can throw off your entire body’s balance and movement patterns. At Church Road Chiropractic, we specialise in identifying the true source of your hip pain and creating effective treatment plans that address both immediate symptoms and underlying causes.
Understanding Your Hip Pain: More Than Just Joint Issues
Your hip is a remarkable joint designed for both stability and mobility. While some hip problems start in the joint itself, many cases of hip pain actually begin with misalignments in your spine or pelvis. Think of your body like a chain – when one link isn’t working properly, it affects all the others. Some common causes of hip pain include
- Pelvic misalignments: When your pelvis isn't level, it shifts your hip socket position, causing uneven wear on the joint and surrounding muscles
- Spinal imbalances: Problems in your lower back can alter your walking pattern and create uneven pressure through your hips and legs
- Muscle imbalances: Poor posture and repetitive movements can cause some muscles to become overly tight while others weaken, pulling the hip out of proper position
- Arthritis: Over time, the protective cartilage in your hip can wear down, leading to pain and stiffness in the joint.
- Sports injuries: High-impact activities and sudden movements can strain muscles and damage the hip joint's supporting structures.
- Bursitis: The fluid-filled sacs that cushion your hip joint can become inflamed, causing pain with movement and pressure.
- Sciatic nerve irritation: Nerve compression in your lower back can cause pain radiating through your hip and down your leg.
- Pregnancy: Hormones released during pregnancy loosen ligaments and joints to prepare for childbirth, often affecting hip alignment.
- Growth spurts: Teenagers may experience hip pain as their bones grow faster than their muscles can adapt.
- Emotional stress: The hip area often stores tension from anxiety and stress, creating physical discomfort and restricted movement. This mind-body connection explains why some people experience hip tension during times of stress or as a result of past trauma, and why emotional release techniques can be so effective for hip pain relief.
Comprehensive Hip Care at Church Road Chiropractic
Because there are so many causes and possible factors, we perform a thorough examination to understand exactly how your body is moving and functioning. We’ll do a hands-on evaluation, posture, and gait analysis and we may use scans or x-rays to get a closer look at your alignment.
Using this information, we develop a personalized treatment approach that may include gentle spinal adjustments to improve overall alignment and specific hip joint mobilizations.
You may also benefit from:
- Soft tissue therapies for tight muscles
- Yoga and other stretching and strengthening exercises
- Posture correction techniques
- Lifestyle modifications to support healing
- Somatic therapy
Healing from hip pain is a process that requires addressing both immediate symptoms and underlying causes. During your care, we will work to relieve your pain and inflammation while beginning to restore proper movement patterns. Many patients notice improvement in their symptoms during this initial phase as we address both the hip joint itself and any contributing factors from the spine and pelvis.
As your pain decreases, we’ll work on rebuilding strength and stability in your hips and supporting muscles. This may include specific exercises and stretches designed to improve your hip function and prevent future problems, and information about lifestyle and posture factors that affect joint health.
Remember, hip pain doesn’t have to control your life. Whether you’re dealing with chronic discomfort or a recent injury, our team at Church Road Chiropractic is here to help you move better and feel better. Through proper assessment and targeted care, we can help you return to the activities you love with improved stability and reduced pain.
Real People. Real Results
More than 250 five-star reviews on Google
After 3 operations on hips and spine, I was still in serious pain for over 2 years. Been seeing Dr Gopal who has been marvellous and goes straight to the sore spots in my neck, back, hips, knee or foot. Its uncanny how Dr Gopal knows where you need treatment directly. Always feel great after treatment. Ive had bad treatment before, elsewhere, so i dont have any bones clicked and re-adjusted but still with what I call 'magic' Dr Gopal re-aligns my bones, eases my tension and makes me feel freshly restored. Of course it takes time as wear n tear can take years to appear, hence need time to heal. Staff are polite and friendly too.