The hip joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is where the ball of the Femur (thigh bone) is connected to the pelvis at the acetabulum. The hip joint is capable of withstanding constant motion and a lot of wear and tear. However, a person might suffer from hip pain due to several reasons.
Hip pain can restrict your motion and cause a lot of troubles in your life. It can be temporary or chronic, depending on the root cause of pain. Arthritis, fracture, infectious arthritis, sprain, avascular necrosis, sciatica, Gaucher’s disease, iliotibial band syndrome, and muscle strain are some renowned causes of hip pain. What’s important here is to understand how a person suffers from hip pain and how to cure it to restore fluid motion.
Symptoms of hip pain:
It is not easy to describe hip pain. People often consider it hamstring strain and think it will get better. Unfortunately, that condition gets worse if not treated properly. You should check the following hip pain symptoms to diagnose it before the problem gets worse. The most common hip pain symptoms are as follows:
- Joint pain
- Limping
- Groin pain
- Warmth
- Reduced hip motion
- Swelling over the hip
- Difficulty in sleeping on the back because the hip hurts
- Tenderness of the hip
- Hip fracture
- Sciatica pain
Arthritis and bone cancer can also cause hip pain. The listed symptoms help the health care professionals in quickly diagnosing the issue.
When should you meet the doctor to cure hip pain?
People usually visit a specialist when they experience pain while standing, walking, or lifting weight. Many ignore this issue if experiencing mild pain. It feels like a bone is broken when severe pain attacks the patient. That’s why they seek medical care to diagnose and cure the problem.
Broken hip is a severe condition. The patients suffer a lot because of pain. If even minimal movement causes too much pain, that’s when you need emergency medical care. Suppose you do not experience severe pain but that does not respond to hot and cold compress treatments, you must meet a surgeon to diagnose the issue with your hips. The surgeon will do the necessary checkup and inform you whether you are suffering from a major hip injury or not. The treatment will be according to the severity of the condition.
Home remedies you can try to get rid of hip pain:
There are some effective home remedies to cure mild hip pain, which you can try:
- Take rest:
You should take as much rest as you can. Do not try things that may put pressure on your hip joint. The best thing you can do during such a period is taking some bed rest at home. Meet the doctor and take leave from work until you do not get fit. Avoid sleeping on your hip and sitting longer on the chair. Switch to a comfier mattress to avoid putting extra pressure on your hips.
- Cold or hot compress:
Hot and cold compresses are two quite effective ways of treating pain. Get an ice pack or fill a bag with hot water. Now press that ice pack or hot water bag over your hips. Keep compressing as long as you can bear the heat or coldness and then remove it for a while. This treatment will help you in easing the pain. Your muscles will get more flexible if you try to stretch.
- Do not pick heavy stuff:
There are a few things which you must avoid when suffering from hip pain. Do not sit too long, avoid sleeping on your hips, and do not pick heavy things. Take these precautions and your hip pain will get relieved quickly (if you are taking a treatment).
Best exercises to cure hip pain:
Some simple stretching exercises can do wonders for you, when it comes to curing hip pain. Try the following exercises and you will feel better. For a full list of exercises with much more detail do read this helpful article.
- Butterfly stretch:
It is one of the simplest hip stretching exercises. Get a yoga mat and sit on that mat. Now bend your legs and touch the soles of your feet. Start moving your knees up and down slowly. Try to touch the ground with both of your knees. Keep your heels touched while swinging your knees like a butterfly’s wings. Try this exercise daily to stretch your hips and relieve the pain.
- Hip flexion:
It is a simple exercise. Stand straight and extend your left arm. Now bend the right leg and then lift it up. Try to bring it closer to your chest without support. Now repeat the same exercise with left leg. Hold an object like a table or pole to maintain your balance while trying this exercise. Repeat this exercise 5-10 times to strengthen the muscles around the hip joint.
- Hip extension:
It is again a simple but quite beneficial hip exercise. You have to stand upright on both of your feet and keep both of your feet about two feet apart. Now hold a chair or take the wall’s support and lift your one leg backward. Do not bend your knee and try to lift that leg as high as you can. Keep it stretched as long as you can and then repeat the same exercise with another leg.
- Hip abduction:
This is a third simple exercise you can try to strengthen your hip muscles. Strong and flexible muscles offer better support to hip joints and thus you experience minimum pain. Stand upright and then hold a table or something solid with your hands to maintain balance. Now lift your left leg to the left side. Do not bend or move your right leg and try to lift that left leg as high as you can. Bring it down and repeat the same exercise with the right leg. Try not to rotate your hips while trying this exercise. Five to ten sets of this exercise in a day are enough to keep your hip muscles strong and flexible.
- Yoga squad:
You need a good balance to practice this exercise. Keep your wide and feet apart. Now slowly bend your knees and get your but down. Try to get you but at the height of your knees and then get back in the initial position. Breathe while you get up and exhale when you go down. Hold a table or a pole if you cannot do yoga squad freely. You won’t need any support after a few days’ regular practices.
- Leg swings:
It is an exercise which you would love to try. It does not involve any complex stretch or poses. First, you have to stand upright and then lift one leg in the air and then swing it right to left. That’s all you have to do to exercise your hip muscles. Swing one leg ten times and then switch to another leg.
Final thoughts:
You cannot concentrate on your work, sit, walk, or even sleep comfortably when experiencing severe hip pain. You should consult with a specialist doctor if the home remedies and hip exercises do not work to relieve the pain. The doctor will provide the best cure to treat the issue and you will feel better again.
