Can You Have Sciatica In Both Legs
Another form of spinal pathology is known as spinal stenosis. Stenosis means narrowing, and in this case, the stenosis is referring to the central canal of the vertebral column, where the spinal cord runs.
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In many cases, central canal stenosis can cause hip pain that radiates down the leg in both legs. Sometimes the pain stops at the knee, and sometimes it radiates further down the legs.
This is sometimes called Shopping Cart Syndrome. This means that the hip and leg pain is often relieved by leaning forward, as if over a shopping cart.
The pain typically is made worse by standing or walking for long periods, which put the spine in more extension. Flexion activities are the opposite of this and tend to reduce stress on the narrow central canal and provide relief.
Why Does My Hip Hurt 4 Possible Causes And Treatments
Hip, hip, not hooray
When your hipbone is pinged with pain, you may find it difficult to stand, walk, run or engage in other routine activities. Hip pain can become overbearing and greatly limit your daily functioning, shares Craig Van Dien, M.D., a board certified sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.
Why Are My Hips Stiff After Sitting
Stiffness in your hips after sitting aren’t simply a reflection of getting old. Often, this stiffness is simply a reflection of your hips and legs being in the same posture for an extended period of time.
“When you sit with your knees bent, your hamstrings are in a relaxed, shortened position, and your hip flexors are at the maximum shortened length,” said Kirsten Zambon, DPT, CLT-LANA, a physical therapist at Franciscan Health Lafayette East. “Hip pain from sitting can be from poor posture, but if you’re sitting 40 to 50 hours week over 5, 6 months or longer, you probably have decreased strength in your hips. When you do get up from your desk, your glutes, core and hip extensors will be weaker, and you dont feel as strong.”
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Pain On The Side Of Your Hip Is More Likely From Tendinitis Tight Muscles Or Another Condition
Hip bursitis an inflammation between your thighbone and nearby tendons is commonly diagnosed when patients have pain on the outer side of the hip. However, several other conditions can cause similar pain, and require different treatments. “Doctors often assume that pain on the outer side of the hip is due to bursitis. But 90% of the time, it’s not bursitis,” says Dr. Lauren Elson, a physiatrist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
What To Do Next
If your pain is not resolving with the appropriate rest/mobility and OTC painkillers after a few weeks it would be advisable to see your GP for further assessment.
You should also go to see your GP if you are having hip pain and experiencing any of the following:
- A new fever or rash
- Sudden onset hip pain and you have sickle cell anaemia
- There is a pain in both hips and other joints
There are also a few situations where it is appropriate to go straight to A& E or seek immediate medical attention in case there is a more serious problem:
- Hip pain caused by a serious fall or accident
- You are worried about a fracture or dislocation of the hip joint
- There is significant bruising or bleeding
- You are not able to put any weight through the hip at all
- You are not able to move the hip at all
- You have a high temperature and are feeling very unwell
Date:
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How Does A Doctor Diagnose Hip And Leg Pain
Diagnosing hip and leg pain can be complex because of the variety of possible causes, similar symptoms, and intricacy of the hip joint. To best help your doctor diagnose your hip and leg pain, keep a detailed journal or tracking app that describes your symptoms over time.
Include information about:
- Where you felt it
- What the pain felt like
For example, you might describe a sharp, stabbing pain on the outside of your thigh that occurs only after sleeping on your side and a general tingling sensation and numbness that is constant in the same area.
If you have self-treated through stretching, massage, or alternative therapies, be sure to indicate in your journal if these treatments were helpful in reducing your pain and for how long.
To diagnose your hip and leg pain, your doctor will use your notes and personal history, along with a physical exam and possibly several tests.
Diagnosing Unexplained Hip Pain Symptoms
An evaluation is needed to understand what may be the cause of hip pain. Questions that a qualified orthopedic surgeon like Dr. Van Thiel and his clinical staff would ask, for instance, include:
- Are you having sudden, sharp pain in your hip, or are you experiencing a dull aching in the joint?
- Did you have a fall or other accident, or are you having sudden hip pain without injury?
- Is your pain concentrated on the outside of the hip, or is it closer to the interior aspect near your groin?
- Is your pain accompanied by other symptoms, like stiffness, tenderness in the skin over the joint, clicking or sticking sensations, or reduced range of movement in the joint?
- Are your symptoms worse when you put weight on your leg, when youre lying down, or when youre engaged in an activity like climbing stairs?
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of hip pain, especially if youre older, but other possible causes include:
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When Hip Pain May Mean Arthritis
Learn about the various causes of hip pain, including different kinds of arthritis.
Many forms of arthritis and related conditions can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the hips. Hip pain can occur on the outside or inside of the hip, the upper thigh or outer buttock. Here are some diseases that can affect the hips.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Previously known as wear and tear arthritis, OA is a disease of the joint that causes inflammation and damage to the tissues in the joint, including cartilage, which cushions the ends of the bones where they meet to form joints. The result is stiffness, pain, loss of movement and the formation of bony growths . Pain from hip OA is often felt in the groin area and front of the thigh. Stiffness may be worst after periods of inactivity, like first thing in the morning.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the immune system doesnt work properly and attacks the body’s own tissues, including the joints. Hip involvement in RA is often signaled by pain, stiffness or swelling in the hips, thighs or groin area. RA usually affects the same joint on both sides of the body, such as both hips.
Juvenile Arthritis
Juvenile arthritis refers to rheumatic diseases, including arthritis, that affect children and teens 16 years and younger. Several types of juvenile arthritis may cause hip joint pain and swelling.
AxSpA
Psoriatic Arthritis
Bursitis
Talk To Your Pharmacist/gp About Pain Relief
If your pain is having a significant impact on your day-to-day life, then it is important to get your pain under control. Conventional over-the-counter medications like paracetamol and ibuprofen can be extremely effective for joint pain when taken correctly. For further advice on how best to take these, you can always ask your local pharmacist who will be able to tailor advice to your situation. If you are finding that these medications are not giving you sufficient pain relief, then it would be appropriate to seek further advice from your GP, who may be able to prescribe an alternative.
Using ice to ease hot, swollen joints or heat for sore, stiff joints can also be extremely effective forms of pain relief.
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How Should I Sit To Reduce Or Prevent Hip Pain
“First thing to prevent the pain coming on good ergonomic setup,” Zambon said. Sitting with your feet properly aligned, pelvis aligned and spine straight may often make a difference in your back health.
When sitting, avoid crossing your legs or sitting “crooked” or leaning to one side, said Susan L. Helton-Groce, MS, CSP, OHST, ergonomic specialist at Franciscan Health WorkingWell in Greenwood.
For some employees, a standing desk may be an option.
Best Chicago Chiropractor For Hip Pain
If youre suffering from hip pain, then the professional chiropractors at Advanced Spine & Sports Care in Chicago can provide effective treatment options that address the underlying cause of the pain, as well as ongoing advice and guidance to support your recovery.Hip pain treatment at Advanced Spine & Sports Care will start with a consultation to discuss your medical history and a full hip and spine examination performed by a trained chiropractor. Once the underlying cause of your hip pain has been identified, a full treatment plan will be created.
The hip pain treatments that we provide here at Advanced Spine & Sports Care can include stretches, exercise plans, spinal adjustments, and advice on lifestyle and nutritional changes.
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Nerve Pain From The Hip To Leg
Sometimes, hip pain may radiate through the nerves from the back of the hip down to the front, back, or side of the legs. This type of pain may be caused due to the irritation of certain lumbar and/or sacral nerve roots, also called sciatica. Musculoskeletal conditions, such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction or piriformis syndrome, may also cause sciatica-like pain.
Read more about Sciatica on Spine-health.com
Severe hip pain that starts suddenly or does not subside with self-care must be evaluated by a doctor. Additionally, associated symptoms such as swelling, leg numbness and/or weakness, nausea, and/or fever may indicate a serious underlying condition and require immediate medical attention.
What’s Causing The Pain
Dr. Elson says pain in the side of your hip most often results from one of the following conditions:
Tendinitis. This is an inflammation of the tendons that connect the gluteal muscles in your buttocks to the hip bone. “Tendinitis develops because of muscle imbalance. It could be from a lack of activity, crossing your legs, or even sitting on a wallet,” Dr. Elson says.
Overuse injury. When you walk or run, weak hip and buttock muscles can tighten and irritate the iliotibial band a long band of connective tissue that runs from the knee to the hip. It merges with the gluteal muscles to stabilize the leg.
Tight muscles in the buttocks and hip. If the gluteal muscles and IT band are too tight, they pull at the thighbone where they attach, and that causes pain on the side.
Spine problems. “The body isn’t always smart in recognizing where the pain is coming from,” Dr. Elson explains, “and spine arthritis, a pinched nerve, or bones in the spine rubbing together can create pain in the side of your hip.”
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Advent Physical Therapy Offers Treatment Plans For It Band Syndrome
Our team at Advent Physical Therapy is ready to help you treat the pain from the hip to the knee on the outside of your leg that comes from IT band syndrome. First of all, we offer free screenings, and this service can help you make sure that this is the issue youre dealing with. We also provide every patient with a personalized therapy plan, and your plan may include therapy techniques such as:
Labral Tear Of The Hip
The labrum is a cup-shaped rim of cartilage that lines the ball-and-socket joint, and reinforces the shape of your hip . When this cartilaginous ring around the acetabulum tears or becomes damaged, then variable symptoms are practically inevitable. Pain in the groin area is common, but can also creep across the hip and down each buttock. The discomfort that stems from a labral tear is felt at its worst after exercise or any other vigorous activities. As times onward march continues, and without treatment, this pain will become more prevalent throughout less strenuous movements, such as resting or sleeping.
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How To Stop Hip Pain That Travels Down The Leg
In order to stop hip pain that travels down the leg to the foot, it is important to address the risk factors mentioned above. Losing excess weight will reduce the amount of stress placed on the structures of the spine such as the joints, discs, nerves, and muscles during your day to day activities.
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise that does not cause a lot of impact through the spine, hips and knees.
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Starting a smoking cessation program can help hip and leg pain because quitting smoking will restore natural delivery of nutrients to the discs of the back.
Nicotine restricts blood flow, and with reduced blood flow, the discs can wear away faster. This means they lose their ability to absorb shock as you walk, run, and exercise. Over time, this can cause the nerves of the lower back to become pinched and cause sciatic hip pain.
Taking an honest look at how much you move around throughout the day and making any adjustments is also very helpful to stop sciatic hip pain.
Many jobs these days require sitting in an office chair for 8 hours or more.
Prolonged sitting puts asymmetrical pressure on the structures of the lower back, which can cause pain. And a sedentary lifestyle can lead to muscle weakness.
Both of these things can aggravate or cause sciatic hip pain.
Setting a timer at your desk to stand up and stretch every 30 minutes can help.
Injections Arent For Everyone
Injections can bring long-lasting and sometimes permanent relief, says Dr. Burg. But they wont be effective if you keep doing the work or activity that caused your bursitis in the first place. You have to eliminate the source of the problem.
In the rare cases where trochanteric bursitis persists after 12 months of medical therapy, surgery can be considered.
But chances are, with proper care, your bursa will stop complaining long before that.
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I Have Pain That Shoots Down My Hip And Leg Help
Modern daily life can put strain on our hip joints and our legs. And the more overweight you are, the higher the risk of joint pain.
Weight loss is often the best course of action in dealing with joint pain, and with almost 70% of Northern Americans being overweight, its common to leave the explanation at that. Yet, its not only joint problems that cause issues in the hips and legs. Hip pain can often radiate down the leg and masquerade as a source of discomfort in your knee or lower leg and, with doctors and specialists pushing the concept of joint stiffness and problems, its easy to generalize and cast your own diagnosis. While joint stiffness shares a common denominator with any hip/leg issue, in that it makes daily activities harder to perform, there are often other factors at play. Hip pain can stem from anywhere in the area, with this pain fed down the nerves that travel down into the lower leg. This can cause affliction in the thigh, the knee, and down towards your feet. So whats the potential diagnosis? Here are some of the most common causes of pain that radiate from the hip and down your leg.
What Exercises Can Help Stiff Painful Hips After Sitting
Even if it seems challenging at times, there are many different exercises that can help with hip pain after sitting. When a painful hip joint remains inactive for a period of time, symptoms can intensify. An estimated 90% of people with hip pain have difficulty sleeping, and fatigue can intensify pain. These exercises help not only with stiff, painful hips but may also help to improve their quality of sleep.
Exercises that can help with hip pain after sitting include:
- Targeted strength training
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When To See A Doctor
Most of the time you can treat your hip pain yourself with simple self-help treatments. If your pain is extremely bad or hasnt improved after two weeks of regularly taking painkillers, you should see your doctor.
You should see your doctor straight away if:
- youve had a fall or injured your hip
- the pain is getting worse
- youre having difficulty with daily activities, for example walking, going up stairs or leaning forwards when sitting
- you feel feverish or unwell, or youve been losing weight.
Urgent Advice: Ask For An Urgent Gp Appointment Or Get Help From Nhs 111 If:
- you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you’ve not had a fall or injured your hip
- your hip is swollen and feels hot
- the skin around your hip has changed colour
- you have hip pain and feel generally unwell and have a high temperature or feel hot and shivery
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
- Severe pain:
-
- always there and so bad it’s hard to think or talk
- you cannot sleep
- it’s very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
- Moderate pain:
-
- makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
- you can manage to get up, wash or dress
- Mild pain:
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