The Healthy You Is the Better You

Posted on: 23 April 2020

If you are struggling with hip pain day in and day out, it can affect nearly everything in your life. After all, when your hips hurt, it can be uncomfortable to stand, walk, sit, or even lie down, which can make life difficult and unpleasant. You might also be at a loss as far as what you can and should do when you are experiencing chronic hip pain. Get to know some steps you can and should take when you have been experiencing hip pain. Then, you can be sure you are doing what is best for you and your body going forward.

Alternate Heat and Cold on Your Hip

One of the ways that you can go about dealing with your hip pain is to alternate heat and cold on the hip joints. This is a great way to go about dealing with the pain because it is something you can do right from the comfort of your home (and on the couch). 

Use a heating pad on your hip for 15-30 minutes. Then wait a little while and do the same with an ice pack. Do this a few times throughout the day (or at the beginning and end of the day if you can't do it while at work). This can help relieve pain as well as reduce inflammation and loosen up the joint. 

Try Stretching or Yoga

Another way to try to deal with chronic hip pain is to try to stretch the hip joint and the muscles in and around it. Doing yoga is a great way to stretch the entire body, including the hips. 

Yoga poses like the upward and downward dog, warrior pose, triangle pose and more all stretch out the leg muscles as well as the hips. This stretching may feel uncomfortable at first, especially if your hip joints are tight, but the stretching will help to loosen that tension and reduce discomfort overall in many cases. 

Contact an Orthopaedic Doctor

If you have been alternating heat and cold and sufficiently stretching your hips but still feel the same level or worse pain, it is time to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. Orthopedic doctors focus on the bones and joints of the body and can help you to develop a good course of treatment for your pain. 

You may need corticosteroid injections, for example, to reduce inflammation. And in the most severe cases of hip problems, you may need a hip replacement surgery. However, most doctors will try various courses of treatment first, including oral and injected medications and physical therapy before opting for surgery. 

Now that you know some of the steps to take when you are experiencing hip pain, you can be sure you are doing what you can to deal with the pain and get it taken care of as soon as possible. 

To learn more, contact an orthopedic doctor.