Tag Archives: Hip pain

hip pain physical therapy

What is Causing Your Hip Pain?

The hip is a large weight bearing ball and socket joint. We use our hips to help move our legs, and for the most part it’s stable and doesn’t give us a whole lot of trouble.  That’s not the case for everyone however. Let’s take a look at hip pain and what the main culprits are.

The Most Common Types of Hip Pain
The most common type of hip pain is arthritis which literally means” swelling of the joint”. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic arthritis are 3 types of arthritis that may ultimately require surgical intervention such as a hip replacement. Other traumatic injuries, birth deformity or childhood hip disease can also cause hip joint damage.

Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear of the joint and is typically seen in people 50 years or older. The articular cartilage becomes soft and wears down causing pain, loss of range of motion, and swelling.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease whereby your body’s immune system attacks your joints causing pain and swelling.

Traumatic Arthritis can occur following a severe hip injury or fracture. In this case, the trauma causes cartilage damage which can lead to hip pain and stiffness over time. Avascular Necrosis is a condition following a traumatic injury to the hip whereby the blood supply to the femoral head is compromised resulting in pain and damage to the articular cartilage.

For more information on hip pain or what to expect from hip replacement recovery check the articles below:

       
This article about hip pain was provided by PTandMe physical therapy partner: STAR Physical Therapy. More information about STAR Physical Therapy and their 65 locations throughout TN  can be found on their website at www.STARpt.com
feet cause pain

Can Your Feet Cause Pain in Your Knee, Hip or Back?

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Can your feet cause pain in other areas of the body?  Yes it can.  The foot is an arch and arches decrease compressive forces by distributing them across the span of the arch. Engineers use arches in building and bridges to hold up greater weight across longer spans.  The human foot has 3 arches that all work together to distribute the forces our bodies put on it.  This allows us to walk, run and jump.

We start running into problems when the arch is either too flat or too high – causing the forces put through the foot to be abnormally distributed, resulting in strain.

  • Flat feet limit the range of motion of our ankle, causing our hips to rotate inward and move towards the center of our body.
  • High arches do the opposite to our hip joints.
  • These changes cause strain to our ankle, knee and hip joints, and our back.

knee pain

People can be unaware that their feet cause pain throughout the body because they were born with flat feet or high arches and they do not know what “normal” feels like.   As physical therapists we have treated many children who didn’t realize that their feet are not supposed to be sore.  But instead of seeing them for prescribed foot pain, they come for pain in their joints or back.

Orthotics were developed to correct or adapt to changes in the foot.  Orthotics should be fitted by a healthcare professional trained in assessing the foot and gait.  Standing on a pressure plate in the store is not good enough.  Why?  If your foot hurts are you going to stand on it normally?  Probably not.  This results in an abnormal reading.

An orthotic by itself is not the best treatment.   A physical therapist will assess your function, strength, flexibility and range of motion.  Patients will present with other problems as the result of abnormal arches.  Treatment with orthotics combined with strengthening and stretching exercises, balance training, functional training and manual therapy is necessary to restore full function.

ice hockey injuries

Common Ice Hockey Injuries

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Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports played in North America. Physical therapy can provide specific treatment to a number of specific ice hockey injuries. Here are a few injuries that can happen during a hockey game or practice:

Common Ice Hockey Injuries

BACK INJURIES
Hockey players are at risk for low-back injuries due to the flexed (forward) posture of skating and the frequent hyperextension (backward) stress. Low-back pain and/or a pulled muscle are the most common injuries. Stretching of the hip flexors along with strengthening of the back and abdominal muscles will help avoid these injuries.

HIP INJURIES
The hip joint and groin muscle are susceptible to injury due to the mechanisms of the skating stride. Some of the most common soft tissue injuries in hockey players include a groin strain and a hip flexor strain. Off-season strengthening and dedicated stretching before and after practice are important to prevent these injuries. In addition, a direct blow to the outside of the hip can cause a hip pointer or trochanteric bursitis. Hockey pants with reinforced padding over these areas may help protect them.

KNEE INJURIES
The medial collateral ligament is the most susceptible to a sprain because of the leg position – pushing off the inside edge of the skate blade – and contact to the outside of the knee. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruption and meniscus tears (torn cartilage) can also occur but are less common in hockey that in other sports such as football, soccer and basketball.

hockey_goalie

SHOULDER INJURIES
The most common shoulder injuries in hockey are a shoulder separation and a broken collarbone. These injuries occur from direct contact of the shoulder with another player, the boards or the ice. Treatment can include a sling, rest and in serious cases surgery.

ELBOW INJURIES
The point of the elbow is a frequent area of contact, which can result in the development of bursitis. Thick and scarred bursal tissue (which feels like bone chips, but isn’t) can be a source of recurrent inflammation. The best prevention method is wearing elbow pads that will fit well and have an opening for the elbow, soft padding and a plastic outer shell.

WRIST INJURIES
A fall on the outstretched arm or contact with the boards that forces the wrist up or down, may cause a fracture. Players should try bracing themselves against the boards using their forearms instead of their hands.

postoperative physical therapy

Postoperative Physical Therapy

Postopertive physical therapy after surgery

Postoperative physical therapy after a Total Hip Replacement is essential to your recovery. Your physical therapist will follow your physician’s protocol and will focus on range of motion exercises, progressive strengthening exercises, gait training, balance training, and activity specific training to meet your specific needs. Modalities such as ice and e-stim may be used to help reduce discomfort and swelling. It is very important to complete your home exercise program as directed by your physical therapist and physician.

RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES
Swelling and pain can make you move your knee less. Your physical therapist can teach you safe and effective exercises to restore the range of motion to your knee so that you can perform your daily activities.

STRENGTHENING EXERCISES
Weakness of the muscles of the thigh and lower leg is typical after surgery. Your physical therapist can determine the best strengthening exercises for you with the goal of no longer needing a cane or walker to walk.

post op

BALANCE TRAINING
Specialized training exercises can help your muscles “learn” to adapt to changes in your world such as uneven or rocky ground. When you are able to put your full weight on your knee without pain, your physical therapist may add agility exercises so that you can safely and quickly change directions or make quick stops or starts. They may use a balance board that will challenge your balance and knee control. These exercises will be safe and fun.

GAIT TRAINING
Your physical therapist will work with you in retraining your gait following your surgery using appropriate assistive devices such as a walker or cane. They will make sure that you will be able to safely and confidently go up and down stairs, negotiate curbs, and inclines, etc.

ACTIVITY SPECIFIC TRAINING
Depending on the requirements or your job or the type of recreational activities you enjoy, your physical therapist will tailor your program so that you can meet your specific demands.

This article about postoperative physical therapy was written by STAR Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with over sixty locations in Tennessee. Established in 1997 with one clinic and one mission – to serve. Today, they have grown to offer that direct service in more than 60 clinics, and while they’ve grown, one thing that has not changed is their commitment to you, their communities, and their employees. For more information click here.

PT News

This Month in PT News. Featuring articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Hip vs. Back vs. SI Pain
Written by Becky Hanna – director of ProCare Physical Therapy’s Tyrone, PA Facility

31 million Americans are currently suffering from low back pain and an estimated 80% of us will have an incident of low back pain at some point in our lifetime. However, back pain can be a sign of low back, hip or sacroiliac joint dysfunction so how can you determine the source of your discomfort? Read More

2. Don’t Stress Out About Stress Fractures
Written by the Therapy Team at Cornerstone Physical Therapy

A stress fracture, also known as a fatigue-induced fracture, consists of one or more small cracks in the bone. It is associated with a pattern of overuse, commonly seen in the lower extremity in athletes. Read More