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hip

Common Hip Pathologies

While the pain or limitations you feel are at your hip, the evaluating doctor of physical therapy can determine where and what is causing your pain (even if it’s coming from another region, like your low back or pelvis).  If the condition proves to require further medical testing, the evaluating therapist will be able to determine that and direct you accordingly.

Common Conditions:

  • Osteoarthritis: wearing of the joint surfaces (cartilage) of the hip joint
    • Mechanism of Injury:
      • Wear and Tear
      • Prior trauma
      • FAI: see below
    • Symptoms:
      • Pain worse with prolonged positioning (e.g. sitting for a long period of time
      • Pain worse in the morning: typically resolves within 5-10 minutes of movement
      • Pain worse with cold weather
      • Decreased mobility
      • Difficulty walking
      • Groin, buttock, or knee pain
  • Femoracetabular Impingement (FAI): excess contact between the acetabulum (hip socket) and proximal femur (top of the hip bone) because of how the bones are shaped/sized
    • Mechanism of Injury: 
      • Cam-type impingement: the hip bone is too big near the top (at the femoral neck)
        • More common in biological men
      • Pincer-type impingement: the socket (acetabulum) is too big
        • More common in biological women
      • Repetitive stress: certain activities will place increased stress on bones.  The way the body responds to increased stress is by laying down more bone in those areas.  This extra bone can result in increased contact between the joint surfaces
    • Symptoms:
      • Anterior hip/groin pain
      • Buttock pain
      • Catching, Giving-way sensations, popping, locking
      • Pain with sitting, squatting, stair navigation
      • Pain with acceleration in sports
      • Decreased available motion
  • Labral Pathology: The acetabular labrum is a fibrocartilaginous cup on the inside of the hip that increases deepens the socket and increases stability of the joint.
    • Mechanism of injury:
      • FAI: see above
      • Trauma: falling
      • Repetitive Stress: overuse from activities requiring hyperextension (running) or external rotation (dance, hockey, gymnastics)
    • Symptoms:
      • Anterior hip/groin pain
      • Catching, Giving-way sensations, popping, locking
      • Pain with prolonged sitting, running, stair navigation, walking, twisting movements
  • Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: resultant of gluteal tendon damage or bursa (fluid filled sac) inflammation
    • Mechanism of Injury:
      • Sedentary Nature
      • Improper athletic training: lack of gradual progression
      • Repetitive Activity
    • Symptoms:
      • Lateral hip pain
      • Pain lying on the affected side
      • Pain with prolonged sitting and/or sitting with legs crossed
      • Pain with walking, stair navigation, standing, running

Why Physical Therapy, Why NOW?!

  • No pain, no gain is not “a thing”
  • Find out the cause of Your pain
  • People don’t often fit into a single “bubble” of what is causing pain
  • Personalized Care
  • Increased Strength
  • Increased Mobility
  • Reduced/Absent Pain
  • Improved Body-Awareness
  • Education regarding your condition and how to manage it

Whenever pain is a factor, muscle groups stop working efficiently and people avoid pain provoking activities.  The result is weakness, reduced mobility, and more pain.  Waiting to get your hip evaluated only extends the time it takes to get you back to living the life you want, participating in activities you enjoy, and being able to comfortably sit, walk, run, etc.  Time is the only thing that you can’t get back.  Spend some time with our team of therapists and athletic trainers, so that you can spend more time focusing on the things and people that matter most!

Give us a call at 703-450-4300 and get scheduled for your evaluation!

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References
Reynolds, Gretchen. “Person Running.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 14 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/well/move/running-as-the-thinking-persons-sport.html. 
St. Tereiza Physical Therapy and Rehab, St. Tereiza Physical Therapy and Rehab, 2020, sttereizaptandrehab.com/services/hip-replacement/.

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