Acupuncture Treatments for Hip Pain in Chandler

Acupuncture Treatments for Hip Pain

Hip pain can be caused by several conditions. The exact location of your hip pain can provide clues about the underlying cause. If things like rest and over-the-counter pain relievers fail to provide relief, consider acupuncture treatments for hip pain.

What Causes Hip Pain?

Depending on the issue that is causing your hip pain, you may experience discomfort in your: thigh, groin, inside or outside of the hip joint, and buttocks. Sometimes pain can radiate to your hip from other areas of the body.

Generally, hip pain gets worse with activity, especially if it's caused by conditions like arthritis. There are several conditions that commonly cause hip pain:

• Arthritis. The most common cause of hip pain, arthritis is frequently seen in adults. Arthritis leads to inflammation of the hip joint and breakdown of cartilage. Individuals with arthritis feel joint stiffness and have a reduced range of motion in the hip.
• Hip fractures. The bones in your body may become weak and brittle as your age. Weakened bones are more likely to result in a break during a fall.
• Bursitis. When bursae become inflamed, they may cause pain. Inflammation is generally due to repetitive activities that irritate or overwork the hip joint.
• Tendinitis. An inflammation or irritation of the tendons, tendonitis is caused by repetitive stress from overuse.
• Muscle or tendon strain. When the muscles or tendons become inflamed due to overuse, they can cause pain, which prevents the hip from working properly.
• Hip labral tear. This is a rip in the ring of cartilage that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. Individuals who perform repetitive twisting movements are at higher risk of developing this problem.

Anatomy of the Hip

Your hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint formed where the thigh bone meets the pelvis. The thigh bone has a ball-shaped knob on the end that fits into a socket formed in the hip bone.

Articular cartilage covers the femoral head and the acetabulum which helps the bones move against each other without pain. Large ligaments, muscles, and tendons surround the hip joint and hold the bones in place, keeping it from dislocating.

Diagnosing Hip Pain

If your hip pain persists with little improvement, you might consider visiting your physician. They can diagnose hip pain in a number of ways, including a physical examination, imaging tests, and lab tests.

During a physical examination, your physician will talk about your medical history and perform a full body exam. They will be looking for areas that are tender, painful, or swollen. Depending on the findings of the exam, your physician may order a lab test or imaging test (x-ray, MRI, CAT Scan, etc.) to help make or confirm a diagnosis.

Home Treatments for Hip Pain

If your hip pain is minor, you may not need to see a physician. Try these self-care tips:

• Rest. Avoid activities that include bending and direct pressure on the hip. Try not to sleep on the affected side and avoid prolonged sitting.
• Pain relievers. Tylenol and ibuprofen may help ease your hip pain.
• Ice or heat. Use a cold pack wrapped in a towel to apply cold treatments to your hip. A warm bath or shower can help prepare your muscles for stretching exercises, which can reduce pain.

If you have arthritis, low-impact exercises, stretching, and resistance training can reduce hip pain and improve joint mobility. Swimming, for example, is a great non-impact exercise for arthritis.

Click Here to Receive a $40 Certificate for your 1st Acupuncture Treatment and Evaluation.

Acupuncture for Hip Pain

If nothing you have tried to relieve hip pain has worked, consider acupuncture. An alternative treatment, acupuncture can be used to treat chronic pain, including joint pain. The goal of acupuncture is to correct imbalances of energy, or "qi," in the body.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese therapy in which thin, tiny needles are inserted into particular points in the skin. The needles will stay in place for several minutes to an hour. Your physician may warm, adjust, or electrically energize them to intensify the effect.

An acupuncture treatment typically involves three steps:

• Needle insertion. Acupuncture needles are inserted to various depths at different points on your body. The needles are very thin, so people often don't feel them inserted at all. Between 5 and 20 needles are used in a typical treatment and depends on the area of the body being treated. When a needle reaches the correct depth, you may feel a mild aching sensation.
• Needle manipulation. Your practitioner may either gently move or twirl the needles after placement. Or they will apply heat, pressure or mild electrical pulses to the needles.
• Needle removal. The needles remain in place for 10 to 20 minutes while you lie still and relax. There is generally no discomfort when the needles are removed.

Other treatments such as Chiropractic care can be combined with acupuncture to align the spine, help relieve pressure and pain in aching hips. Graston Technique is another treatment option used to treat soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation as it breaks up scar tissue.

Low level laser or class IV cold laser can also help reduce hip pain and inflammation on the tendons and bursa. Cold lasers help acute and chronic hip pain symptoms; especially when combined with a combination of physical therapy, Graston Technique, and acupuncture treatments.

Conclusion

Chiropractic, physical therapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture can be used alone or combined to enhance many types of treatments and injuries. Many people with chronic pain find significant relief when combining these treatments.

Alpha Chiropractic and Physical Therapy provides treatment for many patients in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, and Maricopa. Most patients have never seen a clinic that combines treatments from different providers into improving your pain.

Therapy and treatments for many types of conditions can be improved with a combination of acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy. Learn more about our unique Chandler Chiropractic Clinic.

Click Here to Receive a $40 Certificate for your 1st Acupuncture Treatment and Evaluation.