The hip joint is the most powerful joint in the body, but it can also be the most painful.  It is very common to have an impaired hip joint. Wear and tear on the hip can begin from natural aging, an accident or injury, or disease.

The hip is also the largest joint in your body and supports the most weight with a wide range of movement. When your hip starts to hurt, it is crucial to start exploring methods for extending the life of your hip (so you live a happy, pain-free life).

Here are some tips to keep your hip joint healthy.

Avoid Damaging Activities

High impact activities can be extremely damaging to an already aging or injured hip. Sports injuries can be hard to come back from, as well as slips and falls. Practicing safe and low impact on physical fitness and being careful to avoid accidents will help ensure a long and healthy hip joint.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Your hip supports your entire upper body in order to relieve pressure off your lower joints. With that being said, your hip joint’s too much weight isn’t meant to support can start to limit your joint mobility and decrease your hip joint cartilage supply. If your hip starts to hurt, take steps to maintain and ensure your weight is within the appropriate range. Start to avoid highly inflammatory foods and focus more on a natural, low glucose diet.

Increase Your Flexibility

Daily stretches that focus on your hip is a great way to relieve the pressure and lower your hip pain. Yoga and other movement-focused exercises are also great ways to get your hips stretched. If you have a career that requires a lot of sitting, pay attention to the duration you remain sitting and give your hips a break by taking occasional breaks and doing some light stretching and walking.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapists are well equipped with different exercises and stretches that are focused on hip health. If you find that the pain is starting to affect your daily life, talk to your doctor about physical therapy options near you. Together, they will work with you to show you daily practices you can do on your own and provide hands-on therapy that will help relieve pain.

Surgery

For some, the above treatments might not be enough to find comfort. Minimally invasive surgery is an option for those that need to take it one step further. A common technique that is used is hip arthroscopy. This is a straightforward surgery that trains your joint to start to heal itself when providing the required physical therapy. Because of the simplicity of the surgery, quick recovery, and lack of cuts in the muscles or joints, this is a treatment that is sought out by many going through extreme hip pain.

Speak with an Orthopedic Specialist Today

Are you suffering from hip pain? Make an appointment with one of our orthopedic specialists today to start your healing journey. OrthoArizona has nearly two dozen offices throughout the Valley, each focused on quality care, compassion, and excellent customer service. Since 1994, OrthoArizona has been dedicated to compassionate care of the highest quality.

The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and are not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.