Finding relief: chiropractic care for hip pain

Hip pain has a habit of showing up somewhere unexpected: a deep ache in the groin, a tight feeling in the outer thigh, or pain that seems to come from the low back instead. The hip shares so much of its mechanics with the pelvis and spine that what people call "hip pain" often turns out to come from the low back or buttock.^[1]

Common causes

Tight hip flexors from sitting, sacroiliac joint problems, muscle imbalances, and pain referred from the low back are frequent culprits, especially in younger adults. With age, arthritis becomes more common, and after a fall, a fracture has to be ruled out first.^[1]

How treatment approaches it

Because the hip, pelvis, and low back work as a unit, treatment usually looks at all three — adjustments to restricted joints, muscle work on tight hip flexors and glutes, and mobility exercises that address whichever piece is actually driving the pain, rather than treating the hip in isolation.

Telling it apart from other pain

Pain in the front of the hip and groin is commonly linked to problems inside the joint itself, such as arthritis or a labral tear; pain on the outer hip usually comes from the tendons and bursa there; and pain in the buttock or down the leg more often traces back to the low back, sacroiliac joint, or a nerve.^[2] Sorting out which is which is a big part of what the first visit covers.

Worth getting looked at

Hip pain that limits walking, keeps you up at night, or hasn't budged after a couple of weeks is worth an exam — the sooner the actual source is identified, the sooner treatment can target it directly.