Pain In The Back Of The Hip When Standing

Pain in the back of the hip when standing after sitting may be coming from several different muscles: the glutes, hamstrings, and other deep hip rotators. When the hip flexor muscles on the front side of the hip become short and tighten up, it creates an anterior tilt of the pelvis. The glute and hamstring muscles, which attach to the back of the hip and pelvis, become longer than they want to be. While we often think of long muscles as optimal, these muscles have not lengthened in a healthy, active way. Theyâve been yanked into a game of tug-of-war, where the posterior chain muscles may also tighten up to prevent further imbalance.

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Move Of The Month: Seated Pretzel

Stretches the buttocks, hips, and outer thighs.

Reps: 24

Hold: 1030 seconds

Starting position: Sit up straight in a chair and rest your left ankle on your right thigh above your knee. Place your hands on your thighs.

Movement: Keeping your spine neutral, slowly hinge forward from your hips until you feel a stretch in your left hip and buttock. Hold. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat with your right ankle on your left knee. This is one rep.

Tips and techniques: Keep your spine neutral, not rounded, and your chest lifted as you lean forward. Keep your shoulders down and back, away from your ears, as you stretch. For a deeper stretch, gently press down with the hand on your bent leg.

Getting A Diagnosis For Hip Flexor Pain

When you begin to notice hip flexor pain, its important to see your doctor as soon as possible so that the proper diagnosis can be made. A physical therapist, physical medicine, or orthopedic surgeon can all help to diagnose your hip flexor pain.

Your doctor will ask about your medical history as well as perform range of motion tests to see where the pain is the greatest and if you are suffering from hip flexor pain.

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Identify Key Contributing Factors

One of the first steps before beginning treatment of the injury is to recognise key contributors to the initial injury. This provides a good opportunity to reflect on the circumstances leading to the onset of hip pain, to modify or change risk factors if able and aim to avoid making similar errors in the future. For example if you have sustained a femoral stress reaction, it might be worth checking bone mineral density for signs of osteoporosis or osteopenia. Then management can incorporate exercises which help increase bone density alongside targeted modification to nutrition. A key contributor might have been repeat nights of poor sleep. This may be something you can modify and create healthy sleep habits, or alternatively you may not need to change anything because typically you sleep well, its just a tool for reflection. Assessment from your health professional may identify decreased range of movement, weakness or changes in biomechanics which may impact symptoms. If identified it is then more likely to be addressed in the runners management, with the aim to reduce the likelihood of re-injury. Other contributing factors may include those below:

The Adductor And Iliopsoas Muscles

Moving to the next layer, we have two muscles that make up the iliopsoas muscle. These muscles bridge the hip, pelvis, and spine. Beneath the iliopsoas are the adductor muscles and an iliopsoas bursa. A bursa is a pouch filled with fluid. Its purpose is to minimize friction as structures move and provide a cushion between those structures, including the many ligaments that support the hip.

If the pain at the front of your hip is due to one of these muscles, when you put pressure directly over the hip joint or the adductor or iliopsoas muscles, it will be very tender in these areas.

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Are You Wondering Why Your Hips Are Sore Are You Worried You May Have Injured Your Hip

Well dont worry! We will be going through the 3 most common areas to get hip pain and tightness. We will discuss what might be causing your symptoms and how to get it fixed.

Before we dive in, lets have a quick look at the anatomy around the hip as there is a bit going on.

When we talk about the hip, we need to talk about the hip joint, the pelvis and the muscles that interact with these.

The hip joint is a very mobile joint that moves in many different directions through large ranges of movement. A mobile joint requires many different muscular attachments to control its movement through range.

Hence any changes to the tone or tightness of any of these muscles can have a profound impact on the movement of the hip joint.

In addition to the hip joint, we have a pelvis – a very important piece of the puzzle that connects the upper body to the lower body. A well functioning pelvis is the key to a healthy hip.

Whilst the pelvis doesnt have the same degree of movement as the hip joint, its tilts and rotations have a massive influence on hip joint range of motion.

So whilst we are here for the hip, it is the pelvis that we will focus on as one of the key secrets to unlocking tight hips.

Lets go through the 3 most common areas people experience pain or tightness in their hips.

Whilst the majority of people will just experience tightness, some experience pain.

This can include sore hips after running, sore hip muscles, sore hips and back and sore hip bone.

Can You Have Sciatica On Both Legs

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body and can cause pain when it is pinched or compressed by spinal pathology. Pain coming from this nerve usually radiates down one leg but can occur in both. Many cases of true bilateral sciatica are due to central canal stenosis and may be associated with degenerative changes that narrow the central canal of the vertebral column. This narrowing will put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves located within it and result in pain that radiates into both legs.

In some people, hip pain that radiates down both legs can also be attributed to a condition called shopping cart syndrome, which occurs when sitting for long periods of time with ones legs flexed for extended periods. This puts more pressure on the lumbar spine and makes it harder for discs, nerves, ligaments, and muscles to function properly.

In order to reduce hip pain that may radiate down both legs, individuals should practice good posture when sitting or standing, avoid prolonged flexion activities such as bending forward at the waist, practice more extension exercises like yoga, Pilates, or back extensions and limit their time shopping carts where possible by taking frequent breaks.

Its important to note that while many people experience bilateral leg pain due to improper posture/movement habits or mechanical conditions like shopping cart syndrome, not all radial leg pain points toward a serious problem.

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What Causes Hip Pain After Sitting

Your posture ultimately reflects the way that you train your muscles to hold your bones and joints together in good alignment. This combination of muscle strength and muscle length on both sides of a joint affects whether or not it is in an âoptimalâ position.

Sitting places the hips into a flexed position, which changes the length of the hip flexors and the other surrounding hip muscles relative to when youâre standing upright. This seated position affects all sides of the hip joint.

The hip flexors at the front of the hip become shorter, creating an anterior pelvic tilt, resulting in an over-arch in the low back. The glutes and hamstrings, which connect to the back of the hip and pelvis, become stretched out and longer .

In this anterior pelvic tilt, your hips move differently in their ball-and-socket joint, leading to an internal rotation of the femur . The adductor and groin muscles, which connect to the inside of the femur and groin, become shorter and tighter. The abductor muscles on the outside of the hip then become longer.

With the amount of sitting that the average human being does on a daily basis, the hip muscles become accustomed to being in this position. As this pattern is repeated over the course of days, weeks, months, and yearsyour hip muscles will eventually tighten up.

Essentially, there are 2 simultaneous games of tug of war being played between the front and back sides of the hip and also the inner and outer sides of the hip.

Treatment Options For Hip Pain

Treatment for hip pain depends on the diagnosis, but pain thats caused by overuse or sports injuries is often treated with heat, rest, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication. To prevent injuries, it is important to stretch before exercising and wear appropriate clothing, especially good shoes when running, Dr. Philippon says.

If certain activities or overuse are causing hip pain, stop those that aggravate the discomfort and talk to your doctor. Excess weight can put pressure on the hip joint, so losing the pounds can provide relief and help you avoid further problems. Some causes of hip pain, such as fractures or hernias, may need surgical repairs. If your hip pain persists, talk to your doctor about the possible causes and treatments.

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Other Types Of Arthritis

Inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis can all cause hip pain. This can be managed with specific medications for each condition.

For more information see our sections on rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Pain At The Front Of The Hip

• tight hip flexors

• an undiagnosed hip joint issue – e.g. labral tear, femoral acetabular impingement

• non-structural impingement

• can be difficult to locate the pain – feels deep

• usually there has been an incident that triggered the pain.

• a loss of movement in the hip

• pinching/sharp pain in certain positions and can ache persistently

• gets worse with activity

• pain will most commonly be in the groin or at the front of the hip. Can be side though.

• difficulty sleeping on the sore hip

Non-structural Impingement

• Pinching/sharp pain or tightness in certain positions

• Usually no pain if not in an aggravating position

• Sleeping on it is fine

• Can warm up with activity but may stay there without getting worse

• There was no incident that caused the pain. It is something that you have had for a while.

Front of Hip

• activity can make it more tight or it can warm up and feel better

• common for people with lower back pain/tightness

Hip Flexor Tendinopathy

• pain in the hip flexor tendon presenting as pain over the front of the hip

• can be difficult to distinguish from a hip joint issue

• Develops in people who suddenly increase or already do a lot of physical activity

• lifting the leg up can be sore

• no incident, pain progressively built over time

• may warm up with activity and then feel much worse afterwards

Side of Hip

Gluteal tendinopathy

Groin

Adductor tendinopathy

Hernia

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Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head

This issue, known as ONFH, causes the hip bone to deteriorate and collapse due to a lack of blood to the area. The cartilage that covers the hip bones also deteriorates, resulting in arthritis.

Hip pain is typically the first symptom, and it may accompany a throbbing pain or dull ache in the buttocks and groin. As the condition progresses, it may be difficult to put weight on the hip and any movement may be painful.

This may progression can take several months to a year, and getting an early diagnosis leads to a better outlook.

Treatment

Internal causes of hip and groin pain may stem from underlying conditions or growths in other regions of the body. The issue may be:

Other Exercises And Thoughts

Life with hip pain doesnt need to end with inactivity. Modifying cardio activity can be very helpful for managing hip pain while restoring precise movements with targeted exercises.

Treadmills.Its often recommended to stop using the treadmill if hip pain is present. The reason? The belt pushes your leg into extension, which means the glutes work less and the femur is hurdled forward .

Upright cycles and elliptical machines are great alternatives to the treadmill. Its important to check with your physical therapist on how soon you can progress to a treadmill. Cutting out the treadmill for a few weeks and trimming down the time of long walks can help with managing the hip pain while building up strength.

What are some ways that you have found to manage your hip pain? Share below and like our page on .

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Contact Dr Hamilton For An Evaluation

While a sharp pain in the hip, groin, pelvis, or thigh is an obvious sign of a hip flexor injury, pain in the lower back and leg are easy to misdiagnose. After all, itâs natural to assume that radiating pain in the leg or lower back originate from these areas. Unfortunately, diagnosing the source of a patientâs pain is not always straightforward. In fact, itâs possible for patients to go years with a misdiagnosed injury.

Only a professional orthopaedist can accurately diagnose hip pain and recommend the appropriate treatment. Dr. Steve Hamilton is a board-certified hip specialist at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine who can conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your condition and provide an accurate diagnosis.

Knowing the exact source of your hip pain can provide you with peace of mindâbut receiving the right treatment is even better. Let Dr. Hamilton provide you with both peace of mind and relief from your symptoms. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Hamilton today. For your convenience, he is available at Beacon East, Beacon West, or Summit Woods in Ohio as well as Beaconâs Northern Kentucky location.

Patients can schedule an appointment with any of our 60+ expert physicians at our 20+ locations across the Greater Cincinnati area online or by calling to speak with a live representative whoâs available 24/7/365.

Causes Of Groin Pain That Comes From The Hip

Groin pain that originates in your hip can vary in how it feels. It can be either sharp or dull, and either sudden or gradual. Its type and severity will depend on its cause.

If your pain results from problems in your muscles, bones, tendons, or bursae, it will probably become worse when you move.

Learn what conditions originating in your hip might be causing your groin pain, and the best treatment options.

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How To Progress Low Abdominal Strengthening

Lower Abs Level 1:

• Lying supine, flex both knees to 90 so that each hip is also at 45 of flexion.
• Contract low abs , keeping low back flat on table, flex one hip just past 90 towards the chest.
• Keeping abdominals contracted and back flat, bring second hip to chest. Hold both for 3 seconds.
• Maintain the contraction while lowering one leg at a time to the starting position.

Progress this version by only bringing hips to 90 of flexion. This is more difficult and rotation should be monitored as well as low back position. All movements should be pain free.

Lower Abs Level 2

• Lying supine, flex both knees to 90 so that each hip is also at 45 of flexion.
• Contract low abs , keeping low back flat on table, flex one hip just past 90 towards the chest.
• Slide the opposite foot towards the end of the table to fully extend the leg. Keep it on the surface.
• Slide the leg back to the starting position and lower the flexed hip to the starting position.
• Repeat sequence with opposite side.

Lower Abs Level 3

• Same as Level 2 but keep the foot 2 off the table while extending the foot.

Tips For Performing Hip Stretches Safely

Exercising safely is important at any age but is especially crucial for seniors who may be more at risk for injuries and typically take longer to heal when they occur. To stay safe while you stretch, follow these tips:

The above stretches are general suggestions some may not be ideal for seniors. Before starting any new exercise program, talk to your doctor. They can determine if you have health conditions or concerns that may make certain stretches unsafe. They can help you decide if you might benefit from seeing a physical therapist for hip problems.

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What Causes Hip Pain That Radiates Down The Leg

Feeling hip pain that radiates down your leg can be an annoying and frustrating experience. You may find yourself wondering, What could be causing this? Dont worry youre in the right place. In this article, well take a look at the potential causes of hip pain that radiates down the leg and what steps you can take to address it. So keep reading the answers may surprise you!

Contents

Muscles Of The Hip: The Key To Understanding Hip Pain

You dont need to be an expert in anatomy to understand the muscles of the hip.

It is important that you understand the basic relationship between the muscles and how the act as a counterbalance to each other. If you have an overuse injury, its POINTLESS to stress the injured tissues by moving them through the hurting range. Your focus should be on strengthening the weak supporting muscles, not the already strained muscles.

Before we list out a few exercises for hip pain, heres an overview of the muscles affecting the hip joint. Each muscle includes exercises to consider, which are detailed later in this article.

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