Lateral hip pain (or outside of the hip pain) is a common condition that’s often found in runners and women over the age of 40, and may require a chiropractic adjustment for hip joint pain as part of the rehabilitation process. 

Pain in the hip area is often provoked when laying on the affected side at night, as well as when standing in single-leg positions, like walking (especially walking up or down stairs), and standing on one leg when dressing. The pain can be associated with a referral down the front and/or the outside of the leg.

There are many muscles that attach onto the outside of the hip which overlap each other, in addition to local bursa (fluid-filled sacs that reduce muscle friction over other tissue), causing compression of these structures.

The dysfunction of the muscles and joints causes a compression at the outside of the hip bone, causing pain. There may also be associated micro tears of the muscles in this area, which if left unseen, could progress into tendinopathy. A chiropractic adjustment for hip joint pain as part of a structured muscle rehabilitation programme can help to avoid tendinopathy and muscle damage through tissue deloading and correct alignment.

What factors cause lateral hip pain?

Several factors can contribute to lateral hip (outside of the hip) pain: 

  1.    The function and strength of the hip muscles (in particular when standing on one leg)
  2.    The shape and angle of the hip and thigh bones
  3.    Ligamentous integrity
  4.    Limitations to the hip joint itself. 

Once your chiropractor has established the cause of your hip pain and the contributing factors, a treatment and rehabilitation program that involves chiropractic adjustments to relieve hip joint pain will be made to deload the tissues as quickly as possible. It’s important to note that lateral hip conditions can take time to recover, and for long-term improvement, it’s vital that the treatment and rehabilitation is adhered to. 

Contact Scope Chiropractic in West End or Ipswich for further information about lateral hip pain treatments or book a session now.

Avatar for Daniel Rothenberg

Daniel Rothenberg

Daniel Rothenberg is a Sports Chiropractor with a Masters of Chiropractic and Masters of Exercise Science majoring in Strength & Conditioning. He works closely with a range of athletes in Brisbane and Ipswich.