How To Manage Hip Pain For Older Patients

Hip pain is a common condition that affects many seniors. According to reports, 1 in 7 seniors experience significant hip pain on most days, particularly with simple movements such as sitting and standing . If you’re experiencing hip pain, it’s not unusual to schedule a visit with a doctor of chiropractic to see if a conservative course of care can benefit you without the need for medications, injections, or surgical intervention.

When you first present for chiropractic care for hip pain, you will be asked to complete paperwork to describe both your past medical history and your current hip pain. This may also include questionnaires using diagrams and scales to assess pain and disability. The information provided will be useful to rule out red flags (fracture, infection, malignancy, and/or acute nerve injury) that may necessitate referral to a specialist or emergency services. The data will also provide insights as to the potential cause/s of your hip pain.

The possible causes for hip pain are myriad. In addition to trauma, arthritis, congenital defects, and other issues that can affect the soft tissues and bones that comprise the hip joint, the pain experienced as “hip pain” may actually be referred pain from the low back or buttocks. Or you might not even have hip pain but may be mistaking pain from nearby locations as hip pain. There may even be indication that the underlying cause is not musculoskeletal in nature and part of a larger issue that may need to be co-managed with your medical physician.

Once your chiropractor has reviewed the information provided by you, they will conduct a physical examination of the hip joint that may include analysis of gait or walking, sitting, and standing; ability to stand on one leg; range of motion (ROM) from seated and recumbent positions; leg length.

If you have any further questions or would like to schedule a consultation with a chiropractor at Morgan Chiropractic in Stuart, FL, please don’t hesitate to contact them at (772) 221-8969.