Trigger Point Therapy - Treating Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Hip Arthritis  - Treating Trigger Points for Pain Relief and Improved Mobility

Trigger point therapy can often be incredibly effective for relieving hip pain, helping to reduce stiffness and increase range of movement

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that can affect any joint in your body, including your hips.

Over time, due to ageing, trauma or other factors, the cartilage that cushions your joints starts to break down. Without cartilage, your joint bones rub together when you move.

The bone-on-bone action creates pain, stiffness, and can limit your mobility.

This is especially true with OA of the hip, as the hip contains large joints that carry your body’s weight with each step you take.

Treatment options for hip arthritis range from lifestyle modifications to pain management, exercise programs, and even (as a last resort) surgery.

Trigger point therapy can often be incredibly effective for relieving pain and helping to reduce stiffness and increase range of movement.

OA Hip - Diagnosis

Your doctor will diagnose hip arthritis through a combination of a medical history and performing some tests.

A medical history represents a question and answer session between you and your healthcare provider, where you describe how you feel and when you have symptoms.

A medical examination can include gentle palpitation of the joint so your doctor can feel if the hip is swollen, and X-rays to see if your joints are losing cartilage.

You might be asked to walk to help your healthcare provider assess if your range of motion is limited.

OA Hip - Lifestyle Changes

Your lifestyle could contribute to hip arthritis, particularly if your occupation requires a lot of physical labor.

Lifestyle changes such as the following, in tandem with medical treatment, can help calm symptoms:

• Rest: Try to reduce activities that make the symptoms worse, especially during a flare-up.

• Lose Weight (if you are over weight): Excess weight will increase pressure on your hips and knees.

• Diet: Studies show that a diet that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the signs of arthritis in cartilage. Try to eat more healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

• Heat & Ice: Try applying a heat-pack to a stiff hip joint or apply a cold-pack to swollen areas.

OA Hip - Trigger Point Therapy

Hip arthritis can seriously affect your day to day activities if you let it, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Don’t let the pain and joint stiffness get so bad that it makes you miserable. The symptoms of OA Hip are almost always associated with trigger points in the hip adductor muscles.

Regular treatment to dissipate these trigger points can bring both short and long term relief, so ask your therapist about trigger points!

OA Hip - Self Help

Certain stretches can be beneficial to people with OA Hip. Stretching on a regular basis can help keep you flexible; help your hips move more smoothly; and may also help dissipate trigger points.

Stretching should be done gently—be sure to start slowly and stop if you feel pain.

You should also make sure to consult with your therapist or healthcare provider about any stretches and exercises you may want to do.

Below a is an example of a stretch that should be useful for OA Hip sufferers.

Technique

Stand upright and place one leg out to the side and your foot up on a raised object. Keep your toes facing forward and slowly move your other leg away from the object.

To increase the intensity of this stretch, use a higher object and if you need to, hold onto something for balance.

Muscles Being Stretched

Primary muscles: Adductor longus, brevis, and magnus.
Secondary muscles: Gracilis. Pectineus.

Condition Where Stretch Can Be Useful

OA Hip. Avulsion fracture in the pelvic area. Groin strain. Osteitis pubis. Piriformis syndrome. Tendonitis of the adductor muscles. Trochanteric bursitis.

More articles about Trigger Points

More articles about Hip Pain

Find a Trigger Point Professional in your area

About NAT Certification

Find a Trigger Point Professional in your area

NAT Professional Courses

Certify as a Trigger Point Therapist

Membership

About NAT Courses

As a manual therapist or exercise professional, there is only one way to expand your business - education!

Learning more skills increases the services that you offer and provides more opportunity for specialization.

Every NAT course is designed to build on what you already know, to empower you to treat more clients and grow your practice, with a minimal investment in time and money.

Help Desk

About Niel Asher Education

Niel Asher Education is a leading provider of distance learning and continued education courses.

Established in the United Kingdom in 1999, we provide course and distance learning material for therapists and other healthcare professionals in over 40 countries.

Our courses are accredited by over 90 professional associations and national accreditation institutions including the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). Full details of all international course accreditations can be found on our website.  

Printed course materials and other products offered on our websites are despatched worldwide from our 3 locations in the UK (London), USA (Pennsylvania) and Australia (Melbourne).

More About Us

NAMTPT AWARD

We are honored to have received the "Excellence in Education" Award from the National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists.

Since 1999 Niel Asher Education has won numerous awards for education and in particular for education and services provided in the field of trigger point therapy.

Read Full Article 

Award Winning Instructors

Niel Asher Healthcare course instructors have won a host of prestigious awards including 2 lifetime achievement honorees - Stuart Hinds, Lifetime Achievement Honoree, AAMT, 2015, and Dr. Jonathan Kuttner, MD, Lifetime Achievement Honoree, NAMTPT, 2014.

Meet the Instructors

Accreditation

If you are a qualified/licensed manual therapist or exercise/fitness professional you can expand your credentials with NAT certification.

In addition to national accreditation for continued education, each course that we offer includes "NAT Learning Credits". By taking and completing courses you can accumulate NAT credits to qualify for NAT certification.

There are currently 3 levels of NAT certification. Certifying NAT is a valuable way to show your clients that you take continued education seriously, and to promote your skills and qualifications.

Most of our courses are accredited for CE/CPD/CPE. A full list of CE accreditations can be found by clicking on the link below. 

About NAT Certification

Niel Asher Technique

Since 1999 the Niel Asher Technique for treating trigger points has been adopted by over 100,000 therapists worldwide, and has been applied to the treatment of a number of common musculoskeletal injuries.

The Niel Asher Technique for treating frozen shoulder was first introduced and published in 1997 and has been widely adopted by therapists and exercise professionals working within elite sports and athletics.

Read More

International Students

Most of our courses are available as either "Printed" or 'Download" editions, wherever you live. Internet connection is required to access online and downloadable material.

When you purchase a download edition, you receive immediate lifetime access to all course material. Course texts can be downloaded and printed if required. 

When you purchase a "Printed" edition, you will also receive free access to the download edition.

We ship Worldwide from locations in the USA, UK, and Australia. Most items are despatched within 24 hours and shipping is FREE for all orders over US$50.

Shipping

Where to Start?

We offer a range of over 50 courses, presented by some of the worlds leading manual therapists. All courses are reviewed annually, and new courses are regularly added.

Our courses are modular, and designed to build on what you already know. For more information, please visit our "Where to Start?" page.

Start Here

This trigger point therapy blog is intended to be used for information purposes only and is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or to substitute for a medical diagnosis and/or treatment rendered or prescribed by a physician or competent healthcare professional. This information is designed as educational material, but should not be taken as a recommendation for treatment of any particular person or patient. Always consult your physician if you think you need treatment or if you feel unwell.