Hip pain can impact your mobility. You can hardly walk, run, and easily manage other movements when the hip is hurting. Hip pain Scottsdale can be due to conditions like osteoarthritis or trauma, common in athletes and physically active individuals. Establishing the root cause of your hip pain facilitates appropriate treatment, which is critical to avoid aggravating the situation. You can employ certain measures to keep the hip healthier for years and the pain at bay. Among the straightforward tips that can help prevent hip pain includes:
Posture
Your everyday positioning is among the easily overlooked aspects that result in joint injuries. Poor posture mostly goes undetected, resulting in overuse and excess stress. Proper posture limits stress and strains to your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, making it easier to keep your joints from injuries and pain for years.
As you focus on the hips, employ measures like sitting with feet flat on the ground, legs uncrossed, the back straight, and buttocks on the back of the sitting surface. Keep your shoulders width apart when standing and walking, ensuring they are not leaning on one side of the body. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under the knees for improved spine alignment. A pillow between the knees helps cushion the hips from excess stress for side sleepers. You can also add a body wedge under the hip for more support. The right posture keeps your spine aligned and minimizes hip joint stress and strain since the weight is evenly distributed, minimizing injury and pain risks.
Weight
A healthy weight range is essential as you strive to preserve hip and other joints’ health. Did you know that your hips sustain force upwards of four times your weight? When you weigh more, the hip joints are under extra stress, making them susceptible to injuries. When injured, the weight also impacts the pain intensity, meaning it is likely to be overwhelming. Shedding the excess weight can offer significant hip pain relief and minimize injury chances.
Footwear
Comfortable and supportive shoes may seem geared for foot and ankle protection. Nonetheless, they offer more for your knees and hip joints. The right footwear helps absorb shock and facilitate even weight distribution, cushioning your lower limbs and the hip joints from injuries.
Exercise
Exercising helps keep your joints flexible and muscles stronger, improving your range of motion. Resistance exercises like squats and lunges with resistance bands or appropriate dumbbells make it easier to stabilize the hip joint. Keep the technique in mind too, which includes proper posture, warming up, and cooling down before and after exercising. While developing a practical exercise routine to keep hips in better shape, keep modification in mind. This is because your joints’ capability changes over the years.
If you are already dealing with hip pain, proper management is critical. Home remedies like heat and cold, compression, elevation, rest, and anti-inflammatory medication helps. Facilitating proper healing before diving back into your routine mitigates the chances of more injuries that can aggravate the pain and necessitate demanding treatments, including surgery. Contact AZ Ortho today for all of your hip pain-related concerns.