Are you dealing with chronic hip pain? You’re not alone. Your hips are a major joint and muscle group that plays a major part in your overall mobility. Even the smallest misalignment or injury can cause severe pain in your hip area.
The good news is that chiropractic care can help. Our chiropractic team in Fuquay-Varina specializes in treating hip pain problems. We’ll help you identify the underlying cause of your hip pain and build a custom care plan to get you feeling great again.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation, exam, doctors report of findings, PosturePro analysis, and first adjustment.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Better
No matter where you start, we can improve together. The first phase focuses on making progress in your current ailments. Typically, this means alleviating pain and helping you return to your daily activities as smoothly and quickly as possible.
2. Stronger
Now that you’ve made progress, how do we KEEP it? We’ve all experienced improvements, only to regress when our focus shifts. This phase empowers your body to sustain the hard-earned progress you’ve worked so diligently to achieve.
3. Healthier
True HEALTHcare! So often, we are only concerned with our sickness and dysfunction, seeking treatment only when we experience symptoms. This is SICKcare. During the healthier phase, we focus on your overall health and maintaining your well-being.
How We Treat Hip Pain in Fuquay-Varina, NC
Hip pain is a major problem for a lot of people and can really prohibit movement and comfort. Chiropractic care can help pinpoint the issue and make corrections to resolve the hip pain completely.
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
Hip pain can make every step harder, literally. The hip is surrounded by many muscles, tendons, and ligaments that can each affect its function. Our New Patient appointment always starts with an office tour and introduction to our staff. We go through a comprehensive consultation, making sure you give every detail of what’s going on and how it’s affecting your day-to-day life. We guarantee that by the end of this, you will feel heard. We then move into a thorough examination. Ruling in and ruling out everything we can to get to the bottom of what is causing your hip issues. We will also work together to set goals. Making sure we have a clear path to what you want out of care.
Following this first appointment, we will have a Report of Findings and a treatment plan to help you reach your specific goals. All of this is discussed with you, making sure you have a complete understanding of your condition and how we need to treat your case specifically.
Digital X-Rays
X-rays are a safe and effective way to rule out fractures and dislocations. One of the most significant benefits of X-rays is how quickly they can be performed and read. This can be done on the same day as an examination, and we get results back very quickly. One of the limits to X-rays is that you can’t see soft tissue, meaning muscle and ligaments. Because of this, X-rays are effective for detecting fractures or dislocations. For the hips, this will help us see the joint space, degenerative changes, and a fracture. Another limitation is that it’s a two-dimensional snapshot of a single moment in time. Meaning there are limits to what we can and cannot see in a set of X-rays. Following our examination, X-rays may be necessary to get a precise diagnosis and therefore create an appropriate plan to help a patient meet their goals.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Fuquay-Varina, NC
A significant benefit of chiropractic care is that we look at the whole patient, not just the presenting symptoms. For example, if a patient presents with hip pain, we will perform a hip examination. But we will also examine their lumbar spine and pelvis. This is because a change in their biomechanics in either of those areas can lead to significant issues with the hip as well. So, the patient may present with hip pain, but the hip may not be the cause; it could be a pelvic subluxation.
Subluxations are any change in a joint’s ability to move or function freely and fully as it is intended to. These subluxations can also be called segmental joint restrictions, misalignments, and other synonyms. Adjustments will restore proper motion through these joints and, therefore, regain communication through the nervous system.
Chiropractic will look at the entire patient, unlike most conventional models of hip treatment. We are also going to treat the root cause of your hip pain, not just playing whack-a-mole with the symptoms.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
At every step, the hip needs to provide stability to transmit force from the ground up. There are many deep stabilizing muscles of the hip, as well as bigger muscles responsible for larger movements. These muscles all need to move synergistically just to take a simple step forward. Any imbalance in these can lead to pain and dysfunction. This is why each patient receives a custom therapeutic exercise plan as part of their treatment. We want to focus on weak muscles and work to strengthen and stabilize them, as well as identify hypertonic muscles and stretch and relax them. Muscle imbalances are often created by or made worse by Subluxations. Adjustments and the removal of these subluxations increase the proprioception (communication between the brain and body) to each of these joints. Each care plan we create includes diagnostic-specific corrective exercises designed to help improve the stability each patient needs.
Deep Tissue Laser
Deep Tissue laser, or the more specific term photobiomodulation, uses infrared light to penetrate 2-3 inches into the patient. This light does three things: it increases ATP production, improves oxygenation, and increases circulation. Our bodies naturally heal themselves through the inflammatory cycle. Once our body experiences trauma or an injury, it responds by recruiting more blood cells to the area to deliver more oxygen, as well as specific cell types, such as macrophages and leukocytes, to remove the debris. It takes a significant amount of energy to cycle through this process. So what the laser does is take the same healing process our body already has and supercharge it. So, areas that experience trauma or injury can heal significantly more quickly. Areas that don’t heal well due to a lack of natural blood flow, such as ligaments and discs, respond well to deep tissue laser therapy, enabling them to recover more effectively and efficiently.
Deep Tissue laser applied to the skin and muscles of the hip will create a deep, warming sensation. This warming feeling may last for a few hours following treatment. Some patients notice an immediate decrease in pain, but most patients report more lasting improvement following three to four treatments. Hip injuries, such as labrum tears and sprains, are notoriously difficult to heal due to decreased blood flow to these tissues. This is why Deep Tissue Laser works so well for hip injuries.
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy uses both pressure and sound to create a pulsing pressure that penetrates through soft tissue. These shockwaves are used to break up scar tissue and inflammation, thereby promoting blood flow and healing in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the area.
Shockwave feels like a mixture between a massage gun and a TENS unit. When using this modality, patients often notice immediate results, such as decreased pain and increased range of motion. Treatments are rapid and usually complete within 5 minutes, but allow the body to work through the healing process for the next 3-5 days. Significant changes from just a few minutes of treatment!
This works exceptionally well for strains or muscular imbalances. Patients with significant trigger points in their upper traps love shockwave therapy because it’s highly effective in that area.
Dry Needling
Dry needling is performed with a thin, solid needle inserted directly into the muscle belly. What this needling does is create an inflammatory cycle directly in the muscle and tendon where the needle is inserted. This inflammatory cycle means that for the next two to three days following treatment, your body will work through the healing process, clearing away the inflammation and tension.
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) uses a stainless-steel tool to scrape the muscle and fascia. We often joke that the tool looks like a fancy butter knife and is scraped along the muscle belly, breaking down the scar tissue and allowing the body to heal the area correctly.
Both of these modalities are used to treat muscular imbalances around the hip; the specific treatment is patient-dependent.
Common Causes of Hip Pain in Fuquay-Varina, NC
Tendonitis
Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. With 17 different muscles attaching to the hip, 17 tendons could become inflamed, leading to hip tendonitis. It is usually described as a dull aching feeling, soreness, or even a sharp pain directly in the tendon. Tendonitis is generally caused by overloading or repetitive loading of the tendon. This may happen when there is a quick or sharp increase in training or use.
Treatment is initiated with modalities to reduce pain and allow the patient to continue loading the tendon. Tendons love load. Starting with a mixture of shockwave and laser, both reduce pain and promote healing. Then loading the tendons through some isometric exercises and progressing to eccentric loads will increase tendon strength, preventing it from returning or becoming chronic.
Tendonitis can be prevented by creating training programs that progress appropriately and by continuing to incorporate stabilization exercises into programming.
Arthritis
Arthritis seems to be the diagnosis that many patients fear. Many patients don’t realize that there are over 100 types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the type of arthritis that you have to earn. This is seen in older populations. Excessive loading of the hip cartilage over time leads to osteoarthritis. Other lifestyle factors also contribute, including weight, diet, and some genetic markers. Because hip biomechanics are closely associated with those of the knee and ankle, patients with hip osteoarthritis often present with current or prior injuries to the knee and ankle. Preventing arthritis is a lifelong project in which each patient is responsible for controlling their own destiny as much as possible. Proper loading of the lower extremity, as well as limiting and treating current injuries, decreases the likelihood.
For patients who are currently struggling with Osteoarthritis, hope isn’t lost! There are still multiple things we can do to increase function and mobility and decrease pain. We use a combination of shockwave therapy, laser therapy, and at-home rehabilitation exercises to help patients feel and function better. Hip osteoarthritis is one of our favorite conditions to treat, and it is a blast to see patients get their lives back!
Bursitis
A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that can be found around joints in the body, especially where tendons or muscles are. Bursae help tendons and muscles glide smoothly over bone and prevent friction. Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa that can cause pain, swelling, redness, and warmth. Some causes of bursitis include repetitive motion or overuse, trauma, poor posture, and other injuries that directly affect the joint. Bursitis can affect joint range of motion, interfere with daily life, and even compromise quality of life if left untreated. Chiropractic treatment differs from patient to patient; however, it can include joint adjustments, soft-tissue therapies, modality treatments, and other effective treatment plans.
Muscle Strain
A muscle strain occurs when a muscle is overpulled or overstretched, causing damage to some of its fibers. Muscle strains can occasionally heal on their own, but if they heal incorrectly, they can lead to long-term issues such as changes in range of motion or chronic pain. Treating muscle strains includes treating the muscle itself with soft tissue mobilization techniques, strengthening exercises, and joint mobilization, as well as treating the surrounding tissues. Each muscle is part of the kinetic chain, and even small muscles make a big difference in the big picture, like squatting or walking. A muscle strain can occur during a traumatic event when you overstretch the muscle or tendon, or through repetitive stress. A muscle strain can feel like a dull, achy pain until the muscle or tendon is stretched or contracted, at which point you can experience sharp pain in the area of injury. The best way to prevent a strain is to work on stabilizer muscles to keep joints strong during strenuous activities. Modalities such as shockwave and laser therapy can help treat patients with muscle strain.
Sciatica
Sciatica is inflammation of the sciatic nerve. So what is the sciatic nerve? Well, the sciatic nerve is a bundle of 5 nerves that start in the lower back, run across the back of the buttocks, and extend down the back of the leg to the feet and toes. It begins at the L4 and S3 nerve roots. Those 5 nerve roots come together to form the sciatic nerve. For it to become sciatica, the sciatic nerve needs to become inflamed somewhere along its length, causing pain to radiate. There can also be some sort of peripheral nerve entrapment causing sciatica. Meaning if the sciatic nerve gets pinched somewhere else besides the nerve root, it can still turn into what many call sciatica.
Although this pain can present with a variety of sensations, it is usually described as sharp, stabbing, or quick, electric-shock-like. Treating this promptly is important because symptoms can progress rapidly and dramatically. Conservative treatment shows very high success rates, but treatments range from stretching, all the way to surgery and fusions.
Who is at risk for sciatica? Well, this condition affects a large segment of our population and can affect both young and old, men and women. In fact, our discs start to degenerate at around the ages of 18-20. This happens because this is often the point at which we stop growing, and the blood flow to the discs diminishes to almost nothing. Blood flow is how our bodies heal themselves, so when blood flow is limited, healing is limited.
Check Out Our Location Near You
609 Attain St #141, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I see a Chiropractor in Fuquay-Varina, NC, for hip pain?
Yes. Chiropractors are musculoskeletal specialists. Hip injuries are common and respond well to conservative care, such as chiropractic.
What happens when the hips are out of alignment?
Misalignment in your hips can lead to changes in your gait and movement. This simple change can cascade into larger, more painful issues if left uncorrected.
What is the fastest way to relieve hip pain?
The quickest way to relieve hip pain is with a mixture of treatments. Adjustments and shockwaves both show almost immediate effects on pain levels.
How can I realign my hips at home?
Although mobility and stretching can both be performed at home, there is no way to self-adjust and correct alignment. Stretching may create popping in joints, which feels as though it releases the joint capsule, but it won’t have the same neurological impact as an adjustment.
How does a Chiropractor in Fuquay Varina, NC help with hip pain?
Treating hip pain is case-by-case, depending upon the injury and the specifics of that patient. We use a combination of adjustments, shockwave therapy, laser therapy, and custom therapeutic exercise plans to help them reach their goals.
What can a Chiropractor in Fuquay Varina, NC do for hip osteoarthritis?
Treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) aims to prevent progression, reduce pain, and improve function. Chiropractic is the best option for this, as we combine rehabilitation, adjustments, and other modalities to make significant changes in that patient’s hip.
How do I know if my hip pain is severe?
The severity of an issue is determined during an examination. Many patients measure severity solely by pain levels, but this leads you astray. Minor matters may compound into big problems without causing much pain immediately. But if pain is severe, seek treatment as soon as possible.
Why do my hips ache after sleeping?
Sleep posture plays a significant role in how we feel when we wake up. Most of us struggle to control our posture during sleep, but a few minor changes can make a positive difference.
Can uneven hips be fixed?
In most cases, uneven hips can be fixed. We can find adjustments and rehabilitation exercises to correct the hips.
How do you sleep with hip alignment?
The perfect posture for sleep is flat on your back, with a pillow under your knees. This will keep the lower back and the pelvis in a neutral position.
What happens when the hips are out of alignment?
Hips that are out of alignment lead to changes in mobility and function; for some patients, this can cause pain. For others, it can lead to a decrease in performance.
What does hip flexor pain feel like?
Hip flexor pain presents on the front of the hip, even up into the abdomen. Standing or straightening the leg can make the hip feel like it is pulling or can’t extend back.
How do I loosen my hip flexors?
Adjustments to the lumbar spine, as well as consistent mobility training, are how to seeing the quickest and most effective changes in hip mobility.
What are the signs and symptoms of a hip flexor strain?
Pain on the front side of the hip. Pain with marching-type movements or lifting the knees towards the ceiling.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation, exam, doctors report of findings, PosturePro analysis, and first adjustment.
