Pain coming from your hip may have a many causes. Find out about bursitis.
What is
Trochanteric Bursitis?
The muscles that surround
the hips have a complicated role to play. They work to keep the pelvis level
and control one of the most flexible joints of the body. They are organized in
layers, and the deeper muscles are separated from the outer muscles by sheets
of connective tissue, to allow easy gliding, as they interact with each
other.
With all the layers of
muscles working together, some points in the body are more prone to
experiencing tension and friction during movement. Small sacs called bursa
release a natural lubricant to allow gliding and sliding of different muscular
layers and are scattered around the body at points of increased stress.
They are found all over
the body and usually are quite inconspicuous, which is why most people have
never heard of them. However, occasionally something goes wrong, and they
become irritated and painful. This will usually happen in a few typical places
in the body and one of them this over the greater trochanter, the bony part of
the outer hip.
What Are
The Symptoms?
The most common symptoms
of trochanteric bursitis are a sharp, superficial pain on the outside of your
hip, which may radiate down to the knee. You can experience pain with a number
of activities such as walking, jogging, climbing stairs and cycling or simply
lying on the affected side.
How Does
It Happen?
The most common cause for
this is a combination poor biomechanics and overuse. When you have poor
biomechanics, the structures around the bursa become tighter and can begin to
irritate the bursa.
Some things that
contribute to poor biomechanics around the hip are weak, uncontrolled muscles,
tight muscles, flat feet with unsupportive footwear, a difference in leg
length, incorrect equipment settings and scoliosis. These can all lead to
irritation of the bursa around the hip.
How Can
Physiotherapy Help?
As there are many other
conditions that can cause pain at the outer hip, correct diagnosis is
essential. Once diagnosis is confirmed, the first phase of treatment is to
reduce pain and irritation.
This can be done with
muscle release techniques, ice application, rest, fitting you with orthotics
and advice for modification to your lifestyle. Your physiotherapist will also
evaluate the causes of the irritation and prescribe a suitable rehabilitation
program to change your biomechanics.
Serious cases can be
treated with corticosteroid injection or even surgery, but with thorough
physiotherapy treatment, you can usually get back into action within six
weeks.
None of
the information in this article is a replacement for proper medical advice.
Always see a medical professional for advice on your injury.
If you have any further questions about any aches or pains or advise on working posture, please contact the clinic on 028 92666959, or email
info@gavnoble.com
Check out how we can help you at
0 Comments