The Hip Joint: Restoring Functional Freedom
The hip is a ball and socket joint involved in many day-to-day movements. Walking and running, squatting and bending, and even twisting all initiate and manifest through the hip joints. This area of the body is where the pelvis articulates or joins with the femur bone and should allow for a significant range of motion while, also securing stability for that movement to take place.
Hip pain is prevalent among all populations, but incidence does seem to increase with age. Because this joint is involved in virtually every movement relevant to our longevity (i.e walking), it’s easy to understand the potential negative impacts of having a painful nonfunctional hip. We can categorize hip problems in two ways: orthopedic injuries and functional deficits. Explained simply, orthopedic injury describes a structural compromise. Labral tears, femoral acetabular impingement (FAI), painful degenerative arthritis, or muscle strain are all examples of orthopedic injury. Functional deficits on the other hand lack structural abnormality and are instead characterized by a muscle imbalance or range of motion loss within the joint. These conditions exist on a continuum, where often a functional deficit when left untreated will morph into an orthopedic injury. One more thing to consider is the phenomenon of referred pain. One study published in the Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy found that 71% of hip pain was referred from the lumbar spine. A topic for another blog.
Orthopedic injuries should always be assessed by a professional, and a correct diagnosis will dictate treatment. Often, these problems can be handled conservatively, with only a small handful needing surgical intervention. When an orthopedic injury and lumbar spine referral have been ruled out, functional deficit is all that remains. It is our responsibility as humans to take ownership over our body. To understand our anatomy, biomechanics, and own unique geometry. Functional deficits should be addressed systematically and timely.
A simple recipe for restoring your hip joint and finding functional freedom is as follows:
1. Ensure all ranges of hip joint motion are full and pain free.
2. Consistently and progressively load your hip joint with either external resistance (bodyweight, bands, machines) or internal resistance (specific muscle activation sequences).
3. Restore pelvis and ribcage to a more neutral position to effectively centrate (align) the hip joint.
4. Practice more complex movement patterns like rolling, hinging, lunging, and squatting.
It can be difficult to understand where you need to start, and how to confidently navigate a hip joint problem. It’s important to know exactly where and what the deficits or injuries are. Getting to and addressing the root cause of an issue is the only way to ensure long lasting results. Start with a basic understanding of anatomy and mechanics, then learn how to move and position your joints in the most sustainable way. After that start incorporating more complex movement patterns and enjoy the functional freedom that a pain free hip joint provides.
If you need help navigating your hip pain, or pain anywhere else in your body, make sure to book your appointment with one of our practitioners today.
