Discover Hip Pain Relief in New Jersey

The Causes of Hip Pain lead to a Successful Hip Pain Treatment Program

You’re twisting or crossing your legs and all of a sudden… HIP PAIN! You could be sound asleep and hip pain suddenly wakes you up - preventing you from getting a good night's sleep. Perhaps you simply step out of bed or out of the car and experience stiff legs and pain in your hip.

In 2006, millions of hip pain sufferers - 1.6 million women and 1.3 million men, went to the doctor for hip pain relief. There were 733,000 visits to the emergency room for hip pain. The majority of visits were from those over age 60 (1.5 million) to be followed by those in the 43 - 60 age group (665,000 visits).

People of all ages are susceptible to hip pain.  Children can injure a hip while playing, athletes may experience injuries due to the increased demand placed on their muscles, ligaments and joints; and seniors are at a greater risk of developing arthritis and osteoporosis in the hip.

There are many causes of hip pain - these include:

If we injure any part of the body involved in walking, then the body attempts to compensate by altering our gait. This “new” gait can become a habit within a short time, placing pressure on other joints, like the hip. Gait changes may occur due to biomechanical problems (ankle sprain or knee strain), a new job or new job responsibilities, changing the way we sit, starting a new sport/activity or driving for long periods of a regular basis. Gait imbalances can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation conditions or carrying an infant on the hip.

Hip pain is often described as dull aching, sharp shooting, burning or radiating pain that travels down the leg. Other hip pain symptoms may include numbness, tingling, tightness or stiffness. Pain while resting, standing, sitting or walking, low back pain, sciatica and muscle soreness may all be associated with hip pain.

Hip pain usually does not disappear on its own. Identifying the causes of hip pain in its early stages increases the chances of a successful recovery. The road to recovery begins with a thorough health history, understanding of the patient’s symptoms, along with a structural and muscular examination. Our Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Teams may perform a manual exam, palpate the spine and conduct specialized testing to analyze posture, range-of-motion, muscle strength and nerve function. Other diagnostic tests may include laboratory blood studies to determine if there is an underlying disorder, x-rays, CAT scan, MRI, electromyography and nerve conduction studies.   
 
Treatment depends entirely on the cause of hip pain. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to find the cause before embarking on a treatment program. Before performing any treatments, we take great pride in explaining the x-rays findings, diagnosis and if the condition can be helped with the Team care offered at the AIMS Clinic. The aim of our hip pain treatment is to reduce inflammation, improving movement of the joint, relax painful muscle spasm, strengthen weakened muscles, provide nutritional counseling and lifestyle recommendations. After the diagnosis and the severity of the condition is determined, a customized treatment program is created. Hip pain treatments may include medication management, as well as injections of ligaments, muscles, bursae, joints and specialized injections such as epidural injections or facet joint block injections. Physical Therapy, Chiropractic or Nutritional Counseling (fuel for the body) may be an integral part of the hip pain treatment program.

At the AIMS Clinic, there are several forms of physical therapy utilized for hip pain relief.  For acute or severe hip pain, the physical therapist may focus on decreasing pain with passive physical therapy (modalities). They are considered passive therapies because they are done to the patient, rather than the patient rehabilitating with exercise. Examples of modalities include: Ice (makes blood vessels constrict which decreases the blood flow - helping to control inflammation, muscle spasm and pain), Heat (makes blood vessels dilate, which increases the blood flow - helping flush away chemicals that cause pain, as well as bringing in healing nutrients and oxygen.), Ultrasound (uses high-frequency sound waves to reach sore muscles and other tissues that are over two inches below the surface of your skin, which help flush the sore area and bring in a new supply of blood that is rich in nutrients and oxygen.) Electrical Stimulation (can ease pain by sending impulses to the brain that are felt instead of pain.), Soft Tissue Massage (reduces pain and spasm by helping muscles relax - by bringing in a fresh supply of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood and by flushing the area of chemical irritants that come from inflammation.), Joint Mobilization (changing pressure and movements to the joints to help lubricate joint surfaces to ease stiffness and reduce pain.) and Traction (sore joints and muscles often feel better when traction is used.).

In addition to passive therapies, active physical therapy (exercise) is also necessary to rehabilitate the hip and pelvis. Generally, a patient’s exercise program will encompass a combination of stretching exercises, strengthening exercises and low impact aerobics. Strength and flexibility must be built up gradually - on a gradient level. Doing too much too soon often causes muscle strain. Our physical therapists use functional training to help patients with daily activities. This will include a healthy posture program to keep the spine in safe alignment, reducing strain on the joints and soft tissues around the spine.

Hip pain relief is a major reason patients come to treat with our chiropractic physicians. They find that pain is relieved, muscle tightness is reduced and healing begins by manually applying a controlled force to joints that have become restricted by muscle injury, strain, inflammation and/or pain. In addition, spinal decompression - traction that may help relieve pain, may be considered. Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine - taking pressure off spinal discs (gel-like cushions between the bones in your spine). Additionally, spinal decompression is successful in treating back pain, bulging or herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, posterior facet syndrome (worn spinal joints) and radiculopathy (injured or diseased spinal nerve roots). This revolutionary treatment method, which may be covered by health insurance - has resulted in canceling surgeries and allowing people to live life to the fullest. Many patients experience substantial, immediate relief of their symptoms after their first treatment.

Many athletes routinely have chiropractic treatments prior to sporting events - to help prevent an injury from occurring, and after the event, to realign the spine. In fact, sports chiropractors are part of the medical team for the US Olympic Committee, and chiropractors are employed by the National Football League. The Goodwill Games, PanAm Games, Ironman Triathlon and the New York and Boston Marathon make sure to have chiropractors on hand to help athletes.

Know your limits! If you experience pain, stop and rest. Seek medical attention if the pain persists. Many patients treated at the AIMS Clinic have previously treated with various doctors, specialists and therapists, tried bed rest, a multitude of strong drugs and over-the-counter medication and sadly, many have had failed surgery. They come to us because they're still in pain, many have severe hip pain… and they’ve heard about the success of our sports injury rehabilitation program offered here in East Brunswick, NJ.

If this describes you, a family member or friend, we're here to tell you that you can get better. Our Team of Board Certified Medical Doctors, Pain Management Specialist, Physical Therapists and Chiropractors utilize specific diagnostic tests and evaluations, so that we can effectively provide the best care in New Jersey to all of our patients. The AIMS Healthcare Team meets on a weekly basis to discuss all treating patients - to minimize pain and maximize results. It is our Team Approach, which is key to our success. After a few short weeks, you can begin to get on with the rest of your life, as you rid yourself of hip pain.

 

Call New Jersey’s own Alternative Integrated Medical Services today at 732-254-5553 and receive a FREE Initial Consultation. Our goal is to provide the most advanced and compassionate pain relief. Our Team of Experts and friendly staff at your local East Brunswick, NJ AIMS Clinic, will help you reduce or eliminate pain and improve function. As our patient, we will teach you how to regain your health with our revolutionary new treatment program.