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There are many roads to hip pain, but they all produce the same result — you’re limited in your ability to move freely. While there are many ways in which we can resolve hip pain, the role that physical therapy can play is significant. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that physical therapy is one of the best approaches to long-term, pain-free movement.
As orthopedic specialists, our team here at Western Orthopaedics understands what it takes to resolve a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, and it’s a rare exception when physical therapy can’t contribute in a meaningful way.
To illustrate this point, here we take a look at how physical therapy can help you find relief from hip pain, increase your mobility, and even slow down degenerative conditions..
Your hips are large ball-and-socket joints that join your legs to your body to provide you with support, mobility, and range of motion. Keeping the ball-and-socket joints stable and functioning optimally are soft tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bursae, and muscles.
Given all the moving parts and support structures, hip pain can stem from any one of these areas, but some of the more common problems include:
In each of these cases, our team works diligently to mitigate the damage so we can restore your ability to move without pain. This might involve injections, medications, or surgical intervention, depending upon the severity of the problem. No matter which approach we use, physical therapy can play an integral role in getting you back on your feet, more quickly and more safely.
There are several goals that physical therapy can meet when it comes to resolving a hip issue, including:
No matter the underlying problem, it’s important to strengthen all of the components in your hip joint so that the workload is spread out evenly. For example, if you’ve sustained a fracture, we want to ensure that your muscles will provide extra support for your potentially weakened bones.
When you have a condition like osteoarthritis, it’s important to note that there’s no cure for the damage already done to your cartilage. Through physical therapy, however, we can slow the progression of this disease by encouraging mobility, which can help combat the inflammation.
Physical therapy isn’t simply about providing strength to your beleaguered joint — it’s equally important to ensure flexibility and range of motion. Through targeted exercises, we keep the soft tissues in your joints healthy and supple, which will help you maintain the full range of motion in your hips.
The final goal of physical therapy is to prevent re-injury or delay further problems. By beefing up the support systems in your hips, you can take to your feet with confidence knowing that your hips can effectively, and safely, handle the workload.
If you’d like to learn more about the many roles that physical therapy can play in rehabbing your hip(s), contact our physical therapy center in Denver, Colorado, to set up an appointment.
