Do sharp pains in your hip make it difficult to get up in the mornings, move about
during the day, and lie back down at night?
Are your feeling pain in your knee, or even they buckle without warning?
Hip joint pain and knee pain can seriously interfere with your life, especially if you are
dealing with both. Whichever condition may be causing your pain Long Island Physical
Therapy can help get to the root of your problem safely and comfortably, without the
need for drugs or surgery.
Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint that works to support the weight of your upper body,
relying on multiple muscles and tissues to keep it mobile and stable so it can function
properly. Your knee is a hinge joint, confined to forward-and-backward motions.
Individually, your knees support more weight than the hips, 6 times your body weight
when doing a squat. Proper movement of both your hips and knees allows complicated
motions giving you the ability to stand, walk, run, and dance without falling over.
Pain felt in the hips and/or knees may originate in the joints themselves, but it may also
be a result of an underlying condition in another part of the body. For example, your
hips and knees are part of the same kinetic chain, meaning they make up a
combination of weight-bearing joints that must function together in harmony in order
for your body and posture to function properly. Therefore, a problem with your knee
joint may transmit abnormal forces to your hips, and vice versa. If one part of the
kinetic chain is out of balance, stress and deterioration may be placed on another.
Hip and knee pains can be experienced together or separately, but it is important to
note that as the old saying goes, your knee bone is connected to your hip bone,
therefore what happens with one, affects the other.
Many times, the hips and knees suffer the same diseases, disorders, and injuries. For
example, overuse injuries such as tendinitis and chronic muscle strain are common in
both the hips and knees because both joints are constantly in use. They are also both
subject to acute injuries, such as sprains, strains, and dislocation.
Hip and knee pain can also be affected by referred pain from a pinched sciatic nerve,
as the nerve travels through both areas. Imbalances in your stance or gait may cause
abnormal stresses and premature wear-and-tear in your hips and knees, resulting in
painful symptoms of arthritis.
Some painful conditions may be specific to one joint or the other. Cartilage injuries
known as labral tears are specific to hip pain, while inflammation of the bursa sacs
known as bursitis is a specific condition affecting the knee joint. However, painful
injuries that cause instability in the hips can also affect the knees. Tight hip flexor
muscles and weak gluteus medius muscles can cause the hip to rotate inward without
you realizing it. This can cause painful problems such as iliotibial band friction
syndrome or patellofemoral stress syndrome, as stress is put on the knee or kneecap.
Our physical therapist will examine your hip and/or knee for signs of misalignment or structural damage, in addition to examining your stance, posture, gait, and range of motion.
After your physical exam is complete, our physical therapist will prescribe a physical therapy plan for you, aimed at relieving unnatural stresses and strains. They will also focus on normalizing your joint function so you can get back to living life comfortably. You will be given targeted exercises designed for relieving joint pain and stabilizing the weak hip and/or knee tissues. The exercises may vary depending on your condition. for example, research has demonstrated that those suffering from patella pain (kneecap pain) tend to respond better to exercises that focus on strengthening both the hips and knees, rather than just focusing on the knees alone.
You may also be given exercises designed to strengthen the core, including your lower back muscle groups, lower abdominal muscle groups, or pelvic muscles. Core exercises are aimed at straightening your posture and equalizing the weight load on both sides of your body. Additional specialized treatments may also be added as our physical therapist deem fit, such mobilizations to improve joint movement or other soft tissue treatments that relieve pain and promote the healing of damaged hip and/or knee tissues.
The physical therapy treatments at Long Island Physical Therapy can help you to greatly reduce your hip and knee pain. In many cases, your physical therapist can even relieve your pain altogether, sparing you the need for potentially harmful medication or surgical correction.
Contact Us Today at Long Island Physical Therapy To step towards pain relief in your hip and knee and to increase strength and mobility
Contact Long Island Physical Therapy today for your appointment today and find out how we can get you started on the road to recovery.
Are you ready to take your life back? If so, contact us at Long Island Physical Therapy .
