Some level of discomfort is, unfortunately, a part of life. People have different pain thresholds, but few can withstand hip pain. This is because of the abundant nerve supply of the hip region and its weight-bearing properties. Unfortunately, hip pain is the leading cause of discomfort in seniors. Most of them suffer varying co-morbidities owing to their advanced age that will make them the least ideal candidates for surgical procedures.
As such, few people will visit a general physician based in Clive, IA, for their hip pain. They believe the only solution they will be offered in this case is a surgical procedure. Even so, there are several non-invasive solutions for hip pain that the physician in conjunction with orthopedic specialists and other medical experts can offer. Here are some of these alternatives.
Infusions and Injections
Inflammation is the leading cause of hip discomfort. In this case, an infusion or injection of anti-inflammatory medication is the ideal choice. These drugs will be directly injected into your hip muscles or delivered intravenously to alleviate inflammation and consequently, discomfort. Alternatively, the medication can be injected into your psoas muscle or trochanteric bursa. Some centers use platelet-rich plasma injections. This is harvested from your blood then injected into your hip joint to boost tissue regeneration, repair cartilage, and heal wounds that might be contributing to your pain.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
These are rehabilitative approaches that form a part of the management of all types of hip pain. They are designed to strengthen and stretch your soft tissues and muscles and thus improve the hip support and flexibility you have. These will, in turn, alleviate the hip pain you are experiencing. There are now several online videos and TV programs detailing some of the exercises you should engage in to stop hip pain. You should nonetheless only attempt rehabilitative exercises under the guidance of a licensed physical or occupational therapist. The tutorials often aggravate the condition responsible for your hip discomfort.
Supportive Aids
A majority of patients will only experience hip discomfort when they are walking. For them, the doctor might recommend supportive aids like walkers or canes. This is particularly important since it will become unsafe for you to walk if you are experiencing hip pain and might lose balance. The supportive aids will bear some of your body weight and lighten the hip’s load, thus minimizing your pain. The doctor might also recommend the use of a hip brace that holds your joints in place and reduces their nerve irritation.
Lifestyle Modification
Obesity is the leading cause of hip pain since your hips are forced to carry more weight than they should. To this end, weight loss is a crucial component of surgical and non-surgical hip pain management. This does not mean the weight loss fads found everywhere but instead exercise and healthy eating to shed your weight without compromising your health.
Total hip replacement is the definitive treatment for most cases of hip pain. This is, however, only done when the above treatments have failed to alleviate your discomfort. Before the treatment starts, doctors will carry out various diagnostic tests to assess the cause of your pain and pick the best management for you.
