Causes Of Lower Back And Hip Pain
Your lower back and hip are co-dependent on each other. They share many muscle groups, so its no wonder that disruption or pain in one tends to cause problems in the other. If you suffer from lower back pain or hip pain, you risk experiencing abnormalities in muscle function or movement.
Lets take a look at 6 causes of lower back and hip pain:
Chiropractic Care For Back Pain
It may take several types of tests including x-rays, MRIs, and blood tests, to determine the exact cause of your back pain.
And you may need more than one expert managing your back pain.
It really just depends on your specific situation and the amount of damage that has occurred in your spine.
But for back sprains, strains, and even herniated discs, a visit to your local chiropractor may be all it takes to start feeling better.
Dont Miss: Advil Or Aleve For Back Pain
Pain And Stiffness In The Lower Back And Hip
A feeling of stiffness can accompany pain in the lower back and hip. This symptom is typically a protective mechanism of the body to prevent further injury in the area. Stiffness that occurs with pain can be debilitating and reduce function in the back, hip, and leg considerably. Here are a few common conditions that may cause these symptoms to occur together.
Read Also: Hip Replacement Late Infection Symptoms
Gluteal Muscle Tear Or Avulsion
The gluteus medius is a muscle that sits on the outside of the hip area. This muscle is used for standing upright and walking. When injured, these muscles will cause a limp. If these muscles are torn, it can cause severe pain when walking, sitting, or sleeping. Treatment usually involves rest, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery to repair the torn muscle, if no other treatments bring relief from pain.
What Does A Rheumatologist Do
Rheumatology studies the causes, impact, and treatments of inflammatory autoimmune disorders on the human body. In an autoimmune disorder, a patients own immune system malfunctions and turns its attack on his own healthy body tissue, rather than on invading or external disease agents.
Rheumatologists can be internists or pediatricians who have additional training and qualifications. They have the experience to diagnose and treat many of the over 100 systemic forms of adult, juvenile, and temporal arthritis. They treat mechanical joint, bone, muscle, and soft and connective tissue diseases.
Often referred to as arthritis doctors, rheumatologists treat many other diseases too.
Read Also: Back Pain Causing Hip Pain
Perform Hip Stretches Before Going To Bed
Hip stretches are especially important if youre suffering from hip and lower back pain at night. These could point to tight muscles being the culprit of your pain.
As ManageBackPain.com explains, talk to your doctor about stretches you can try. Or, for more mild cases of hip pain, try the following stretches from Exercise For Injuries. These will work out the tension youre holding in your hips and can relieve pain before bed.
Also Check: Aleve And Back Pain
Can Osteopathy And Physiotherapy Help
Both hip and lower back conditions are within the remit of osteopaths and physiotherapists who are trained healthcare professionals and will be able to clinically test your joints and muscles to reach a diagnosis. A diagnosis is the identification of what the cause of pain is and should always be followed by a prognosis, the timeframe within which a recovery is expected to happen.
If you want to find out more about how osteopathy and physiotherapy can help you with hip or lower back pain give us a call on 02077356813 or send an enquiry to
Don’t Miss: Getting Into Bed After Hip Replacement
That Hip Pain Could Actually Be A Sciatica Problem
Your hips are incredibly active joints and no strangers to the occasional ache and pain, especially as you get older. But searing pain in one of your hips may have nothing to do with your hip at all, but a pinched nerve root in your lower back.
At Healthy Life Family Medicinein Goodyear, Arizona, Dr. John Monroe understands the many conditions that can lead to radiating pain. One of the biggest culprits in this regard is sciatica, which develops when certain nerve roots in your lower back are irritated or compressed, causing symptoms to travel down your sciatic nerve.
Heres a look at how sciatica pain develops and why your hip pain may be a result of a problem in your lower back.
The Personal Painful Ordeal Of Women With Endometriosis
For Lindsay Murphy, a laundry list of symptoms shed had for years turned out to have a one-word diagnosis. Endometriosis. Patients and a handful of doctors are demanding better education, diagnosis, and treatment for this common condition.
Lindsay Murphy, a 36-year-old San Francisco native, sensed something was wrong with her, but none of the doctors she saw found anything.
Her periods were grueling. Birth control pills seemed to help, but she still wasnt quite right.
One day, she passed out with no explanation. Another, she woke up in a pool of blood. A battery of tests didnt lead to a diagnosis.
In May 2011, she started coughing up blood. She had just moved to the Lake Tahoe area to work as a nanny, and she and others first blamed the elevation. Then there was blood in her stool.
In August, as she loaded clothes into the washer at her apartment, Murphy collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
Barely conscious, Murphy remembers medical staff talking heatedly about her low blood oxygen levels before wheeling her into surgery. She would remain on the table for more than nine hours.
When she came to, the surgeon told her she had the worst case of endometriosis hed ever seen.
It turns out, he hadnt even seen all of it.
You May Like: Brace For Hip Labral Tear
How My Orthopedic Doctor Can Help Me With Hip Pain
Hip pain is a common occurrence, and treatments for mild cases can be as simple as resting your joints and avoiding physical activities. However, if your aches do not subside despite adequate rest, you might want to get your hips checked. Muscle injury and joint damage are common causes of hip pain. Seeking professional medical help from an orthopedic doctor may be the best thing to do. But how do orthopedic doctors alleviate your hip pain?
When The Hip Is The Usual Suspect
Surprisingly, hip problemsusually produce groin pain on the affected side. Thats because the actualjoint of the hip is near the spine.
Groin pain is a hip issue until proven otherwise, says back pain specialist Russell DeMicco, DO. Pain above the belt line is not a hip issue.
The most common cause ofhip pain is osteoarthritis of the hip joint. You may have hip arthritis if:
- Pain is in your groin.
- Discomfort comes and goes, becoming more frequent over time.
- Pain worsens with standing, walking and activity, and is relieved by rest.
- You feel stiff.
- You walk with a limp.
Avascular necrosis, or AVN,is a serious condition marked by death of hip bone at the joint. The pain isusually worse and far more constant than in osteoarthritis. People come to mesaying, My hip is killing me, says Dr. Murray.
Read Also: Hip Labral Tear Physical Therapy
Symptoms Of Hip And Back Pain
If youre experiencing pain in your hips or low back, you can do a few things to get relief. Here are some common symptoms of hip and low back pain and what you can do to treat them. The Hip and the Leg. The hip joint or the hip is a ball-and-socket type of joint. It consists of two bones: the femur and the acetabulum . These bones move apart when you move your leg and feet, then come together again to allow for movement.
What are some causes of hip pain? An injury typically causes hip pain, but an overuse issue can also bring it on. An injury can cause bruising, swelling, muscle sprains, and skin tears that bleed into your muscles around the hip socket causing hip pain.
Inherited Biases Slow Care
Some of the roadblocks to faster care for women with endometriosis are the hard-to-budge cultural kind.
Most women with endometriosis develop it early in their reproductive years. Many, including Murphy, are told by their mothers to expect severe pain with their periods. Doctors say extreme pain that doesnt respond to typical over-the-counter remedies is not normal.
Culturally, there is this aversion, distancing, even in families, when issues occur with periods, Seckin said. Theres a tendency to underplay it.
Its likely that the mothers who describe extremely painful periods as normal suffer from endometriosis themselves. The condition is partially inherited.
Theres a known genetic component, Gregersen said. It runs in families. But as with all genetically complex diseases, its not always clear which genes are causing it.
Young women are also less likely to go to a gynecologist, whos best equipped to correctly identify endometriosis.
The first doctor theyll see is a GP or pediatrician, and many dont know what endometriosis is, Seckin said. In the physician community, theyre not any more informed than the general public. Seriously, you wouldnt believe it.
The Endometriosis Foundation of America has gone to schools with a lesson on endometriosis, reaching more than 7,000 Long Island high school students, to try to teach young women to recognize abnormally difficult periods.
Recommended Reading: Shoes For Knee And Hip Pain
Sharp Pain In The Lower Back And Hip On One Side
A shooting and sharp pain felt on one side on your lower back and hip may be caused by muscle spasm, joint dysfunction, and/or nerve compression in the region. Common conditions that cause this type of pain are discussed below.
Spasm of the piriformis muscle located deep in the buttock may cause 5:
- Moderate to severe lower back, hip, and buttock pain
- Referred pain that may extend into the back of the thigh
- Inability to sit for a long time
The pain is typically felt on one side and may be worsened by hip movements, such as when getting out of bed.5
Piriformis syndrome is commonly caused by overactivity of the hip rotator muscles or sitting on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time. An injury to the buttock may also cause this pain.6
Read more: What Is Piriformis Syndrome?
A Fat Wallet Can Trigger Piriformis
You might not think of too much cash as a source of pain, but a fat wallet can trigger piriformis syndrome. The condition can affect men who wear their wallet in the back pocket of their pants. This puts chronic pressure on the piriformis muscle and can aggravate the sciatic nerve over time. You can avoid this problem by keeping your wallet in a front pocket or jacket pocket.
Also Check: How Soon Can I Drive After Hip Replacement
Other Symptoms Associated With Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a systemic diseaseit affects the whole bodyand pain is not the only symptom. Other symptoms include:
Unexplained fatigue. This body-wide fatigue can be overwhelming and last for days, regardless of how much sleep a person gets.
Fever. A persistent low-grade fever may occur as a result of the body-wide inflammation.
General feeling of illness. Some people report feeling unwell or not quite right.
Weight loss and/or loss of appetite. The inflammation may cause people to lose their appetite and lose weight, similar to when having a cold or flu.
Swollen fingers or toes. Dactylitis, the medical name for swollen fingers or toes, can be a sign of ankylosing spondylitis or another type of a spondyloarthritis.
Vascular disease. Experts estimate people with ankylosing spondylitis are 36% more likely to die from vascular disease than the general population.2 Vascular disease includes:
- Cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and increases the risk of heart attacks.
- Cerebrovascular disease, which affects the brain and increases the risk of stroke.
Pulmonary disease. Anyklosing spondylitis can affect the rib cage and the lungs making breathing difficult or uncomfortable.
People with ankylosing spondylitis may experience none, one, or all of these symptoms. Symptoms may come and go and tend to lessen with treatment.
Orthopedic Doctor In Merriam Ks
Orthopedic doctors are equipped with knowledge and skills to address your hip pain. If you are experiencing hip pain that is not resolved with rest and over-the-counter medications, dont hesitate to seek medical help.
Here at Midwest Orthopaedics, we offer you quality orthopedic care for hip pain through nonsurgical and surgical treatments. We assure you that our board-certified providers will give you and your family the patient-centered care you deserve.
For questions and concerns, call us at 362-8317. You can also request an appointment with us through our secure online form. We look forward to helping you relieve your pain!
Read Also: Aleve For Lower Back Pain
Read Also: Arthritis In The Hips Feel Like
Leg Pain From Hip Disorders
When the hip is affected, you may have groin pain on the affected side, reduced range of motion of the hip, thigh pain, knee pain, or buttocks pain. The pain usually does not go down below the knee, and there is no associated numbness or tingling. You may feel more pain when walking or standing, and the pain improves with rest. You may sense a limited range of motion when trying to get out of the car, chair or bed. Occasionally, pain in the hip could be secondary to inflammation of a hip bursa. This can happen if you have tight hip abductor muscles, difference in leg length or hip arthritis. Hip pain can also be caused by something more serious but less common, like fractures, tumors, infection or avascular necrosis.
Relieving Hip Pain By Focusing On The Lower Back
When hip pain hit Stephen Rosen, PhD, an 87-year-old expert in cosmic radiation and nuclear astrophysics, he turned to Edward Adler, MD, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Mount Sinai Downtown and Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Adler performed an orthopedic physical examination, updated hip X-rays, and reviewed prior lumbar spine imaging, which indicated that Dr. Rosens hip and buttocks pain was actually coming from his lower back and not his hip joints. In October 2020, Dr. Adler ordered a new lumbar spine MRI and referred the patient to Amir Mahajer, DO, FAOCPMR, Assistant Professor of Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Mahajer specializes in Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine.
Dr. Mahajer approached Dr. Rosen by focusing on his background as a scientist. Dr. Mahajer was the first one who really talked to me about science, says Dr. Rosen. I know a little about the lower back from my own research, but Dr. Mahajer really knew how to explain it to me and tell me everything I needed to know. Dr. Rosen had already attempted conservative care with a home exercise program and over-the-counter medications with minimal relief.
To read more patient stories, click here.
Also Check: Best Office Chair For Lower Back And Hip Pain
Improve Movements To Eliminate Hip Pain
The back, hip, and lower extremity work as a comprehensive unit allowing for many of the repetitive tasks you complete at home, work, and during recreational activities. Injuries to one area of the musculature often indicates that additional damage has been incurred by adjacent muscles.
Many therapeutic exercises can help restore proper strength and endurance to the leg muscles. Isometric exercises are often the initial treatment exercises, followed by single plane rubber band exercises for the hip, knee, and ankle: flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, circumduction, inversion, and eversion. Dynamic exercises involving stability foam, rubber discs, exercise ball, and BOSU balls can be performed on the floor. The more unstable the surface, the more effort and stabilization is required of all the lower extremity muscles.
Vibration plates enhance neuromuscular learning throughout the ankle, knee, foot, hip, and back muscles. Additional strength exercises can be found on the hip, knee, and foot strengthening pages. More information for injuries and treatments for knee pain and foot pain.
Arthritis And Hip Pain
Spinal osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthritis of the spine.
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that lines the joints degenerates or breaks down. As this material stiffens or breaks down, the additional wear and tear on the bones can cause inflammation, bone spurs, and pain.
Spinal osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage and discs in the lower region of the spine degenerate and fail to perform their function of acting as cushions for the joints. This degeneration and increased pressure on the joints can lead to inflammation, pain, and possibly pressure on the lumbar nerves.
You May Like: Lower Right Hip And Back Pain
What Is Back Pain
Back pain refers to pain that you may feel in your back or spine. It is a very common problem: 1 in 6 Australians report having back problems, and 4 out of 5 experience it sometime in their life. While both men and women report that they experience back problems, it is more commonly reported by people 25 years and older.
Back pain can be grouped into different categories. Lower back pain refers to pain felt in the lower part of the spine . Back problems can also affect the upper back , the neck as well as the tailbone .
People experience back pain in different ways. Some people say it feels like a sharp pain other people report aches or spasms. You may feel stiff, or find it hard to turn or bend in certain directions. In some cases, such as sciatica, pain can travel down one or both your legs.
Back pain can impact you physically and mentally. People suffering from back pain may feel irritable or short-tempered. They may worry about whether the pain will control their life and may experience feelings of helplessness.