Hip Pain - Marin

Our team safely and effectively treats SI joint and hip pain in Marin. We do so through a combination of stretching, strengthening, chiropractic adjustments, massage, reiki, and more.

Location of Hip Pain | Mill Valley

When someone says that they have hip pain, the first thing that I ask them to do it point to where it hurts. Half the time they point to the SI (sacroiliac) joint, and half the time they point to the acetabulofemoral joint (true hip). The two areas often get aggravated for similar reasons, but the treatments can be quite different.

Pain in the Sacroiliac Joint

There are many potential causes of SI joint pain. Depending on the specific etiology of your pain, we will craft a targeted treatment appropriate for you.

Common Causes:

Joint Instability
Disc Injury or Aggravation
Sacroiliac Joint Inflammation
Hip Flexor Contraction

Many of our everyday activities can contribute to Sacroiliac joint pain. Sitting at a computer for too many hours, improper lifting, and carrying excess weight one one shoulder are but a few. Sometimes pregnancy injures the abdominal muscles causing you to over-engage the hip flexors. The hip flexors often refer pain directly to the SI joint. The causes and presentation of Sacroiliac pain and low back pain overlap considerably.

Pain in the True Hip

There are many potential causes of hip joint pain. There may be an underlying structural deformity, excess tightness any any of the muscles attaching to the hip, or you may be suffering from bursitis. You may have tight hip flexors from sitting too much, or you may have injured them from squats and deadlifts.

Common Causes:

Poor lifting posture
Excessive Sitting
Hip Dysplasia
Repetitive hip stress

Hip Flexor Contraction | Marin

The hip flexors can cause low back pain, hip pain, and SI joint pain. They oppose the Gluteus Maximus and stay engaged when the gluts fail to activate normally. In the case of an abdominal diastasis, the hip flexors get overworked trying to pick up the slack from a weak core. Tight hip flexors can cause pain in the anterior hip, low back, SI joint, down into the front of the leg, across the abdomen, and less often down the back of the leg.

Chiropractic Approach to Hip Pain

The chiropractic approach to treating hip pain is to find the source of the pain and correct it, not just treat the symptoms. This ensures that the body can heal naturally. Hip pain often responds dramatically to the correction of vertebrae positioning and the loosening of the surrounding muscles.

Additionally, treatment of hip pain usually involves adding exercises or stretches to your home routine, the use of hot or cold compresses, and massage to compliment your adjustments. It may also be helpful to consider some lifestyle changes such as healthier eating and stress reduction techniques.

Hip pain can go undiagnosed for months or even years. It is never too late to start treating hip pain. Waiting until the pain is unbearable or immobilizing is not the best approach, but you will come to treatment in your own time.

One thing to remember with both hip and low back pain is that the location of the pain is not always where the problem lies. You will likely need to address many surrounding and complementary structures to properly address your issue. You may need to strengthen your core, increase flexibility, or correct muscular imbalances. You will need to do a great deal of the work for yourself, but we will help to teach you what approach is appropriate and what activities you need to avoid.