Health blog Category: Joint Pain
One of the Most Stable Joints in the Body…
You guessed it, the hip joint! However, that does not keep this joint and region of the body from becoming unstable, developing issues, and producing discomfort.
Unstable hip joints can lead to discomfort and weakness in the hip region and creates difficulties:
- sleeping or lying in certain positions
- standing, walking, running, and climbing stairs
- standing up from a seated position
- balancing
- bending your leg in towards your chest (such as when dressing, cutting your toe nails, or washing/drying your feet)
There are multiple structures in and around the hip joint that can produce pain in this area of the body:
- Labrum
- The ring of cartilage around the rim of the socket of the hip joint.
The Leg Bone’s Connected to the Knee Bone
The joints in our body have a relationship. A “joint” refers to any location in the body in which two bones meet together. They pick up the slack for each other when our mobility or stability is impacted in a particular area. Remember that song ‘the leg bone’s connected to the knee bone, the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone…’ and so on and so forth? It’s a catchy children’s tune that also paints a pretty comprehensive picture of the relationship between the various joints in our bodies.
Read full blogLoosen Up Those Stiff Joints
At some point or another in life we experience joint stiffness. What actually is “joint stiffness?” It is a
situation in the body where we feel tightness in the parts of our body that bend, like the elbows, wrists,
shoulders, hips, knees, neck, lower back, and ankles.
Below are some of the most common causes of joint stiffness:
- muscular tightness
- capsular/ligamentous tightness
- muscle weakness causing poor joint alignment and tracking
- loss of joint space with osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- structural damage from wear and tear or injury and the resulting inflammation
Joint stiffness presents with the sensation of not being able to fully rotate, bend, or extend a joint in the
body.
Too much or too little movement in our joints?
Joint mobility and joint stability are two parts of a patient’s musculoskeletal condition that physical therapists assess.
- Joint mobility is the amount of movement that occurs within a single joint. So this is not just how high you can raise your arm or how far you can bend your knee, but it is how much or how little “wiggle” there is within a joint. Us therapist call this “wiggle” joint play and rate joint mobility as mild, moderate or severe hypermobility (excessive movement) and mild, moderate, or severe hypomobility (limitation of movement, stiffness).
What is bursitis and how do I know if I have it?
Bursitis is an inflammation of a structure called a “bursa” and most commonly occurs in knees, hips, shoulders and elbows. Pain is the number one symptom of bursitis. This pain can be deep and hard to pinpoint. It is often described as “dull and achey,” and can radiate to the surrounding areas. Bursitis can impede on nearly all aspects of our everyday activities, including standing up from the couch, running on the treadmill, walking the dog, or even something as simple as lying down in bed… that shouldn’t hurt, right?!
Read full blogJoint Mobility vs. Joint Stability
Are we talking about joint mobility or stability? Many people tend to used the wrong word when speaking about the body. So let’s clear this up, starting with the breakdown of the words. A “joint” refers to any location in the body in which two bones meet together. Now on to “mobility”, with the root word “mobile” referring to some sort of movement. When it pertains to the body, joint mobility refers to the joint being able to move without being restricted by the surrounding tissues.
Read full blogThe Importance of Addressing Mobility and Stability
As physical therapists, we see this scenario play out all too often: you feel pain and the stretching and strengthening you do is focused solely on that painful area. However, this only solves part of the problem and does not address a key fact: the joints in our body have a relationship. They pick up the slack for each other when our mobility or stability is impacted in a particular area.
Here’s an example of how this plays out.
Increased Activity this Time of Year?
Hip pain is a very common problem we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center and it can result in difficulty with many daily activities. People frequently come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the hip. The number one complaint being pain localized to the hip joint and muscles surrounding the joint. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the hip and even the lower back. These issues create difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg.
Read full blogJoint Stiffness Impacting Plans?
By Alyssa Burke, PTA
Joint stiffness is a common ailment that affects many people. It can affect any joint and can vary in severity and duration. It can make a simple task like getting up from a chair or walking a challenge and painful. You may only experience temporary stiffness first thing in the morning or it can bother you after being stationary for a long period of time. Here are some questions to consider if you have joint stiffness:
- What is joint stiffness?
Planning to get outside for a walk
By Alyssa Burke, LPTA
Walking is a great step to improve bone health and fitness. Springtime is a good time to get outside and be active. What better way to kick the winter blues and enjoy the beautiful spring weather than to go for a walk! Walking is one of the easiest ways to get a workout and it offers many physical and mental health benefits. It’s why the American Heart Association designates April as National Walking Day.