Hip & Knee Pain

HIP

Due to the stressing forces applied to these joints throughout the day, hip pain is another of the most common and disabling condition presenting within the population. The amount of tissues e.g. muscles and ligaments, around the hip joint is one of the greatest in the body, still allowing a great range of motion throughout all planes of movement.

Cause varies from the most common osteoarthritis (or just simply arthritis) to trochanteric bursitis, snapping hip syndrome and our ‘friendly’ low back. Referred pain to the hip joint may actually originate in the low back (this is due to the course of peripheral nerves exiting the spine at the lumbar level to reach anterior structures such as skin and front thigh muscles).

For all these conditions treatments differ from conservative i.e. ice, NSAID’s and physical therapy, to invasive such as hip-replacement surgery, or arthroplasty. This latter is usually indicated when conservative care fails or the cause of the hip pain is of pathological origin, such as osteonecrosis, (a condition where the bone cells die due to lack of blood supply).

Other common causes of hip pain are muscle strains and tendinitis which are successfully treated and managed by chiropractic care.

KNEE

Another complex joint in the body comprising three components: medial, lateral and anterior compartment. The main knee joint, however, is defined as the articulation between the femur and the tibia.

Once again, many ligaments and tendons surround the knee joint to form a thick joint capsule that allows for protection and stability. Moreover, many bursa are present within the knee area to allow smooth sliding and avoid friction between adjacent tissues.

Try to count the number of movements your knee goes through in one day. Now, think of the amount of stress your knee is under and the risks of dysfunction and pain. Fortunately, pathological presentations at the knees are quite rare which narrows down the margins for successful treatment and management plans to conservative care.

However, a severely damaged meniscus often requires surgical surgery.

Often, mobilization and deep tissue therapy has a positive effect on knee pain. If no changes are seen within 4-6 treatments your chiropractor should revise your case or refer you to another health professional such as your GP.