Even with so many it is only a small percentage of the population and often overlooked by doctors.
The best diagnosis is a full MRI and physical examination by a specialist. CAT scans are inconclusive and expose the patient to unnecessary radiation. X-rays, even worse.
Generally speaking, there is no cure. Surgery is never a sure thing and sometimes leaves patients worse.
But, what is the cause of it? This isn't a helpful question as it can be so many things, either on their own or working together, and it can be as simple as getting older. There is no cure for that.
The right treatment can be better than any pill or cutting.
Common Signs of hip problem
- Standing discomfort (94%)
- Numbness (63%)
- Weakness (43%)
- Bilateral symptoms (68%)
- Discomfort above and below knee (78%)
- Buttock / Thigh only (15%)
- Below the knee (7%)[4]
- "Shopping cart sign"- need to grab a shopping cart when going into a store in order to hold onto the cart and bend over relieving the pain in the legs.
other
- Gait disturbance (i.e. walking to the side or feeling like one leg is shorter)
These are five simple questions to help you help your doctor determine what's wrong.
Most of below will be more relevant for hip pain and leg pain.
1. Does it hurt to sit down or lie down and it gets better when you stand.
Yes probably means disc problems. Slipped disc. Prolapse of disc. Herniated disc.
This generally gets better with medication, rest, correct exercise.
See your doctor and thank you for reading, the rest of this material is for those that said No.
2. Standing or walking causes numbness, weakness, or pain in the legs or hips. Sitting down or leaning forward or lying down bring relief.
Yes probably means stenosis of the spine or disease of the hip or both.
Stenosis is where the bones, muscles, tendons of the back squeeze the nerves.
This compression of the nerves is felt as pain. Those that suffer from it know how inaqequate those words are and those that don't will never understand the toll it takes.
Disease of the hip can be arthritic or infection or both.
3. Is the pain more or most noticeable in the thighs or hamstrings, the knees, the shin or calf, the ankles.
Yes indicates hip issues. If it is mainly a hip issue spinal surgery will not relieve the pain but can be very effective for those with only stenosis issues. However, inversion table therapy and strengthening and conditioning exercise should be considered as a first option. See your doctor and thank you for reading.
4. This will check for hip issues.
When sitting on a bench with your legs bent at the knees and the knees apart and your lower leg hanging down like the hand of a clock. Rotate your left leg to slowly bring your left foot up to your right knee, and do the same with the right foot to the left knee. Now try to slowly rotate your left foot to your left hand and then do the same with the right side. (see also below link: lateral external rotation.) Pain, stiffness, spasms, cramps are probably from hip issues. See your doctor and thank you for reading.
The below documentation is information I gathered from the internet while researching this to get a better handle on my own issues. Over time as I learn how to blog better I will clean this up with better source material.
lateral external rotation of leg
exercises
I use an inversion table. The story goes that in ancient times they would strap people to ladders to invert them, so if you have a ladder and some friends and a lot of faith.
I prefer the table. For the more athletic there are the batman boots aka gravity boots (insert trade mark product of your choice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q5-eNPO44w) you can hook up to a bar.
Full inversion only needs a few minutes.
For those unable to fully invert, the angle needs to at least 60 degree to allow for decompression.
I prefer the table. For the more athletic there are the batman boots aka gravity boots (insert trade mark product of your choice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q5-eNPO44w) you can hook up to a bar.
Full inversion only needs a few minutes.
For those unable to fully invert, the angle needs to at least 60 degree to allow for decompression.
Below pictures show some useful stretches to remove stiffness and improve flexibility. Always start slow and gentle, let the muscles and joints stretch on their own, never force, never bounce a stretch.
Stretch one is also useful if you raise the knees upright with heels as close to the buttocks as possible (and with a gentle pelvic tilt to avoid over-arching the lower back) and then slowly let the knees come apart and do a gentle split. Gentle wiggling allows for a deeper stretch. Later, you might prefer to repeat a few times for better stretch.
This stretch can then be altered so that keeping knees upright and together you move your heels 30cm (a foot) or so apart and then rotate your right knee to the space between your left heel and left buttock. This gives a useful relaxing stretch of the hip in the other direction. I find this relieves pain at night while sleeping better than simply raising the knees up. Remember to pelvic tilt to avoid over-arching.
Warning. Stretch 2, the lunge should not be done as seen - it must only be done with the foot always in front of the knee: this prevents straining of the knee ligaments.
Also, Stretch 3, some people recommend using the alternate hand so that the knee bends in the correct way. Compare this to when you squat with your feet 30cm (or so) apart, the position is similar to using the alternate hand. See Stretching exercises chart 20 and 21.
Stretch one is also useful if you raise the knees upright with heels as close to the buttocks as possible (and with a gentle pelvic tilt to avoid over-arching the lower back) and then slowly let the knees come apart and do a gentle split. Gentle wiggling allows for a deeper stretch. Later, you might prefer to repeat a few times for better stretch.
This stretch can then be altered so that keeping knees upright and together you move your heels 30cm (a foot) or so apart and then rotate your right knee to the space between your left heel and left buttock. This gives a useful relaxing stretch of the hip in the other direction. I find this relieves pain at night while sleeping better than simply raising the knees up. Remember to pelvic tilt to avoid over-arching.
Warning. Stretch 2, the lunge should not be done as seen - it must only be done with the foot always in front of the knee: this prevents straining of the knee ligaments.
Also, Stretch 3, some people recommend using the alternate hand so that the knee bends in the correct way. Compare this to when you squat with your feet 30cm (or so) apart, the position is similar to using the alternate hand. See Stretching exercises chart 20 and 21.
The above exercise 2 (Deep lunge) I do using a stable 30cm support on the bent knee side, so that I can rest my weight.
The 3rd stretch below I also find useful with a modification. With shoulders straight on, in parallel to the hips, rest your right forearm above the right knee and gently press down so that the leg is parallel to the bench. This is called a "hip opener.'' Then, slowly lean forward at the hip and try to bring your head as close to the knee as you can. This is called a "forward bend hip opener." Avoid strain or force and ensure you support your upper body weight and don't put pressure on the backbone or discs.
Similar to the One Legged King Pigeon Pose, but we can leave that for the experts.
A variation of this is Stretching exercises (see below) 18 - gluteal stretch. I find doing both provides better relief than doing just one.
Graphic from http://www.sportsscience.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/whole-body-stretching-routine.png
It is blogger shrunk to fit here. Click on it and select original size from the below options or on the above hyperlink, right click, open in new tab and toggle between tabs.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.