Acupuncture for Hip Pain


A number of Americans across the country experience hip pain from time to time in their lives. Among the millions who have to cope with this pain on a daily basis is a large percentage of women rather than men. Fortunately, acupuncture can be used to treat this kind of pain effectively and get the sufferer back to their daily routine in no time.

The hip joint is durable, but not indestructible. With aging and overuse, hip joint cartilage can wear down and degrade. Muscles and tendons in the hip can get overused. Bones in the hip can break during a fall or other injury. Any of these conditions can lead to hip pain. Acupuncture has shown to be an effective treatment for hip pain. 

If your hips are sore, here is a rundown of what might be causing your discomfort and how to get hip pain relief.

Hamstring Injuries – Hamstring strains cover a wide array of symptoms dependent on the degree of the injury. In all cases pain and muscular spasm are present. Whether the injury arises from a low back disorder and subsequent weakening of the muscle or the degree of trauma seeming to override a well-toned and developed muscle determines the approach. From the perspective of acupuncture, the injury and the body's compensation are key to recovery. The pain, swelling and reactive guarding that occur are addressed initially with structural tone and balance in the later stages of the treatment.

Hip fracture – The condition affects aging women the most because bone density declines as a person ages. This makes the bones susceptible to fracturing, and a small degree of pressure on the bones can easily break them. Hip fractures usually cause pain when walking, stretching or standing. Hip fractures also cause the toes to face outwards. The abnormal positioning of the toes is one of the first red flags doctors check when treating this kind of pain.

Acupuncture is an effective tool as a supportive therapy in the recovery of hip fractures by easing compensatory muscular guarding, easing pain by producing naturally occurring opiate substances and decreasing inflammation by causing the adrenal glands to secrete cortisol, your systems innate steroid.

Tendonitis and bursitis – The hip joint is connected to the muscles around it by tendons. These tendons usually get overused and thus inflamed. One common cause of hip pain runners usually experience is iliotibial band syndrome, also referred to as IT Band. This is a thick strip of tissue running from the outer pelvis to the side of the knee.

Inflammation of a tendon or the bursa, a fluid filled sac that surrounds the joint and allows for the lubrication of the joint, is commonly treated with acupuncture and its related techniques. Moist heat is often employed along with the needles to facilitate recovery.

Arthritis – People with osteoarthritis often have to cope with such pain. The ball and socket joint at the hip wears out with time and is affected by arthritis as the person ages. The condition causes severe pain which can be felt at the groin (as the joint swells and becomes stiff) or front of the thigh.

Hernia – It can also be referred to as a sports hernia. It is a medical condition that causes chronic pain at the front of the hip in women. An inguinal hernia is the most common type of hip pain expectant women may experience. It is caused by overstretching of the abdominal walls.

Gynecological issues – Hip pain can also be as a result of a condition affecting women known as endometriosis which occurs when the uterine lining grows abnormally.

Symptoms of hip injury or pain

The hip joint is one of the complete joints in the body consisting of bone, cartilage, ligament, muscle and lubricating fluid. Hip pain is difficult to describe as most patients just know they have a problem with their hips. The cause of the pain determines the frequency, intensity and location. The pain can be felt over the trochanter, at the groin or in the buttocks area. The pain can also move down to the knees. A lot of patients complain of:

  • Limping

  • Stiff muscles

  • Stabbing, throbbing or aching pain which can sometimes reach the lower back, groin and legs

  • Spasm

  • Severe pain in the morning or when sitting or walking for extended spans of time

  • Stiffness at the hip joint which causes difficulty in moving the joint

Acupuncture for the treatment of hip pain

Apart from the conventional ways of treating hip pain, you should also consider alternative methods such as acupuncture, which is one of the oldest techniques when it comes to pain alleviation. Acupuncture needles are painless, and sterile and are placed at specific points just below the skin. These needles when placed encourage blood and lymph flow to certain areas which in turn enables the natural healing processes of the body. By encouraging flow of blood, acupuncture therapy reduces many forms of inflammation and pain.

If you have tried everything else to treat your pain without success, it is time you tried acupuncture. Patients considering surgery should first take some acupuncture therapy sessions before going for surgery. This may be the only way you avoid surgery.  Reach out and get your consultation today to see what good acupuncture can do for you.