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Hip Pain & Disorders

Back Clinic Hip Pain & Disorders Team. These types of disorders are common complaints that can be caused by a variety of problems. The precise location of your hip pain can give more information about the underlying cause. The hip joint on its own tends to result in pain on the inside of your hip or groin area. Pain on the outside, upper thigh, or outer buttock is usually caused by ailments/problems with the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues surrounding the hip joint. Hip pain can also be caused by diseases and conditions in other areas of your body, i.e. the lower back. The first thing is to identify where the pain is coming from.

The most important distinguishing factor is to find out if the hip is the cause of the pain. When hip pain comes from muscles, tendons, or ligament injuries, it typically comes from overuse or Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). This comes from overusing the hip muscles in the body i.e. iliopsoas tendinitis. This can come from tendon and ligament irritations, which typically are involved in snapping hip syndrome. It can come from inside the joint that is more characteristic of hip osteoarthritis. Each of these types of pain presents itself in slightly different ways, which is then the most important part in diagnosing what the cause is.


Kinesiology Tape for Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Relief and Management

Kinesiology Tape for Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Relief and Management

For individuals experiencing sacroiliac joint/SIJ dysfunction and pain, could applying kinesiology tape help bring relief and manage symptoms?

Kinesiology Tape for Sacroiliac Joint Pain: Relief and Management

Kinesiology Tape For Sacroiliac Joint Pain

A lower back ailment that is common during pregnancy. The pain is usually on one or both sides of the back, just above the buttocks, that comes and goes and can limit the ability to bend, sit, and perform various physical activities. (Moayad Al-Subahi et al., 2017) The therapeutic tape provides support while allowing for movement and may help treat and manage sacroiliac joint/SIJ pain by:

  • Decreasing muscle spasms.
  • Facilitating muscular function.
  • Increasing blood circulation to and around the pain site.
  • Decreasing muscle trigger points.

Mechanism

Some studies have found that taping the SI joint has benefits that include:

  1. One theory is it helps lift and hold the overlying tissues off of the SI joint, which helps decrease the pressure around it.
  2. Another theory is that lifting the tissues helps create a pressure differential under the tape, like non-surgical decompression, allowing increased circulation to the tissues surrounding the sacroiliac joint.
  3. This floods the area with blood and nutrients, creating an optimal healing environment.

Application

A sacroiliac joint on the right and left sides connects the pelvis to the sacrum or the lowest part of the spine. To apply the kinesiology tape correctly, locate the lowest part of the back within the pelvic area. (Francisco Selva et al., 2019) Ask a friend or family member for help if you can’t reach the area.

Blog Image  Treating Sacroiliac DiagramTaping steps:

  • Cut three strips of tape, each 4 to 6 inches long.
  • Sit in a chair and bend the body slightly forward.
  • If someone is helping, you can stand and slightly bend forward.
  • Remove the lift-off strip in the middle and stretch the tape to expose several inches, leaving the ends covered.
  • Apply the exposed tape at an angle over the SI joint, like making the first line of an X, just above the buttocks, with full stretch on the tape.
  • Peel the lift-off strips from the ends and adhere them with no stretching.
  • Repeat the application steps with a second strip, adhering at a 45-degree angle to the first strip, making the X over the sacroiliac joint.
  • Repeat this with the final strip horizontally across the X made from the first two pieces.
  • There should be a tape pattern of star shape over the sacroiliac joint.
  1. Kinesiology tape can stay over the sacroiliac joint for three to five days.
  2. Watch for signs of irritation around the tape.
  3. Remove the tape if the skin becomes irritated, and consult your primary healthcare provider, physical therapist, or chiropractor for other treatment options.
  4. Some individuals with specific conditions should avoid using the tape and get confirmation that it’s safe.
  5. Individuals with severe sacroiliac pain where self-management is not working should see a healthcare provider, physical therapist, and or chiropractor for an evaluation and to learn therapeutic exercises and treatments to help manage the condition.

Sciatica During Pregnancy


References

Al-Subahi, M., Alayat, M., Alshehri, M. A., Helal, O., Alhasan, H., Alalawi, A., Takrouni, A., & Alfaqeh, A. (2017). The effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions for sacroiliac joint dysfunction: a systematic review. Journal of physical therapy science, 29(9), 1689–1694. doi.org/10.1589/jpts.29.1689

Do-Yun Shin and Ju-Young Heo. (2017). The Effects of Kinesiotaping Applied onto Erector Spinae and Sacroiliac Joint on Lumbar Flexibility. The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy, 307-315. doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18857/jkpt.2017.29.6.307

Selva, F., Pardo, A., Aguado, X., Montava, I., Gil-Santos, L., & Barrios, C. (2019). A study of reproducibility of kinesiology tape applications: review, reliability and validity. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 20(1), 153. doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2533-0

Discover Nonsurgical Solutions for Hip Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

Discover Nonsurgical Solutions for Hip Pain and Plantar Fasciitis

Can plantar fasciitis patients incorporate non-surgical treatments to reduce hip pain and restore mobility?

Introduction

Everyone is on their feet constantly as it helps people stay mobile and allows them to go from one location to another. Many people are constantly on their feet from childhood to adulthood. This is because the feet are part of the lower musculoskeletal extremities that stabilize the hips and allow sensory-motor function to the legs, thighs, and calves. The feet also have various muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the skeletal structure to prevent pain and discomfort. However, when repetitive motions or injuries start to affect the feet, it can lead to plantar fasciitis and, over time, cause overlapping risk profiles that lead to hip pain. When people are experiencing these pain-like conditions, it can significantly affect their daily activities and overall quality of life. When this happens, many people seek various treatments to reduce the pain-like symptoms caused by plantar fasciitis and restore hip mobility. Today’s article looks at how plantar fasciitis correlates with hip pain, the connection between the feet and the hips, and how there are non-surgical solutions to reduce plantar fasciitis. We talk with certified medical providers who consolidate our patients’ information to assess how to mitigate plantar fasciitis and restore hip mobility. We also inform and guide patients on how numerous non-surgical treatments can help strengthen weak muscles associated with plantar fasciitis and help with restoring stabilization from hip pain. We encourage our patients to ask their associated medical providers intricate and important questions about incorporating small changes to reduce the pain-like effects caused by plantar fasciitis. Dr. Jimenez, D.C., includes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

 

How Plantar Fasciitis Correlates With Hip Pain

Do you experience pain in your heels constantly after a long walk? Do you feel stiffness in your hips when stretching? Or do you feel your shoes are causing tension and pain in your feet and calves? Often, many of these pain-like scenarios are due to people dealing with plantar fasciitis, characterized by heel pain due to inflammation or degenerative irritation of the plantar fascia, a band of thick tissues is running across the bottom of the foot and connecting to the heel bone to the toes in the lower extremities. This band of tissues plays an essential role in the body, providing normal biomechanics to the foot while supporting the arch and helping with shock absorption. (Buchanan et al., 2024) Plantar fasciitis can affect the stability of the lower extremities since the pain affects the feet and causes hip pain.

 

 

So, how would plantar fasciitis correlate with hip pain? With plantar fasciitis, many people are experiencing pain in their feet. It can lead to abnormal foot posture, lower extremity muscle weakness, and muscle stress that can reduce the stability of the legs and hip muscles. (Lee et al., 2022) With hip pain, many people can experience a gait dysfunction that causes muscle weakness in the lower extremities and causes the accessory muscles to perform the primary muscles’ jobs. To that point, this forces people to scrap the ground when walking. (Ahuja et al., 2020) This is because normal conditions like natural aging, muscle overuse, or trauma can cause pain-like symptoms to the hips, including discomfort on the thighs, groin, and buttock region, joint stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Hip pain can cause overlapping risk profiles that may include repetitive strain on the feet, thus leading to symptoms of sharp to dull aches on the heel.

 

The Connection Between The Feet and The Hips

It is important to understand that foot problems like plantar fasciitis can affect the hips and vice versa, as both body regions have a beautiful relationship within the musculoskeletal system. Plantar fasciitis on their feet can alter their gait function, potentially leading to hip pain over time. This is due to many environmental factors that can affect the hips and feet over time, leading to plantar fasciitis correlating with hip pain. From excessive weight-bearing activities to microtrauma in the hips or the plantar fascia, many people will often seek treatment to reduce the effects of plantar fasciitis correlated with hip pain by addressing how their range of motion is affecting the plantarflexion and their load on the force-absorbing plantar surface structures could be good starting points in the prevention and treatment of plantar fasciitis correlated with hip pain. (Hamstra-Wright et al., 2021)

 


What Is Plantar Fasciitis?-Video


Non-Surgical Solutions To Reduce Plantar Fasciitis

When it comes to reducing plantar fasciitis in the body, many individuals will seek non-surgical treatments that can alleviate the pain from plantar fascia. Non-surgical treatments are cost-effective and can reduce the pain from plantar fasciitis and its associated symptoms, like hip pain. Some of the benefits of non-surgical treatments are promising, as they have a low risk of complications, good accessibility, and even a high capacity to relieve the mechanical load on the plantar fascia when doing regular activities. (Schuitema et al., 2020) Some of the non-surgical treatments that many people can incorporate include:

  • Stretching exercises
  • Orthotic devices
  • Chiropractic care
  • Massage therapy
  • Acupuncture/electroacupuncture
  • Spinal decompression

 

These non-surgical treatments not only help reduce plantar fasciitis but also help alleviate hip pain. For example, spinal decompression can help restore hip mobility by stretching the lumbar spine and relieving the lower extremities from numbness while strengthening tight muscles. (Takagi et al., 2023). Electroacupuncture can stimulate the body’s acupoints to release endorphins from the lower extremities to reduce inflammation of the plantar fascia. (Wang et al., 2019) When people begin to make small changes in their routine, like wearing proper footwear and not carrying or lifting heavy weighted objects, it can go a long way to prevent plantar fasciitis and hip pain from reoccurring can go a long way. Having a personalized treatment plan can ensure many individuals seeking non-surgical treatments have a better outcome on their health and mobility while preventing long-term complications. 

 


References

Ahuja, V., Thapa, D., Patial, S., Chander, A., & Ahuja, A. (2020). Chronic hip pain in adults: Current knowledge and future prospective. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol, 36(4), 450-457. doi.org/10.4103/joacp.JOACP_170_19

Buchanan, B. K., Sina, R. E., & Kushner, D. (2024). Plantar Fasciitis. In StatPearls. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28613727

Hamstra-Wright, K. L., Huxel Bliven, K. C., Bay, R. C., & Aydemir, B. (2021). Risk Factors for Plantar Fasciitis in Physically Active Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Health, 13(3), 296-303. doi.org/10.1177/1941738120970976

Lee, J. H., Shin, K. H., Jung, T. S., & Jang, W. Y. (2022). Lower Extremity Muscle Performance and Foot Pressure in Patients Who Have Plantar Fasciitis with and without Flat Foot Posture. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 20(1). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010087

Schuitema, D., Greve, C., Postema, K., Dekker, R., & Hijmans, J. M. (2020). Effectiveness of Mechanical Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis: A Systematic Review. J Sport Rehabil, 29(5), 657-674. doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2019-0036

Takagi, Y., Yamada, H., Ebara, H., Hayashi, H., Inatani, H., Toyooka, K., Mori, A., Kitano, Y., Nakanami, A., Kagechika, K., Yahata, T., & Tsuchiya, H. (2023). Decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis at the intrathecal catheter insertion site during intrathecal baclofen therapy: a case report. J Med Case Rep, 17(1), 239. doi.org/10.1186/s13256-023-03959-1

Wang, W., Liu, Y., Zhao, J., Jiao, R., & Liu, Z. (2019). Electroacupuncture versus manual acupuncture in the treatment of plantar heel pain syndrome: study protocol for an upcoming randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 9(4), e026147. doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026147

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The Benefits of using Electroacupuncture for Osteoarthritis

The Benefits of using Electroacupuncture for Osteoarthritis

Can individuals with osteoarthritis find the relief they deserve through electroacupuncture to restore knee and hip mobility?

Introduction

The lower extremities provide movement and stability to the body, allowing people to be in motion. The hips, lower back, knees, and feet each have a function to do, and when traumatic issues start to affect the spinal structures, it can cause numerous symptoms to pop up and cause pain-like symptoms. Additionally, degenerative factors are natural to the joints of the lower extremities as many people make repetitive motions to their bodies that lead to the degenerative process. One of the most common degenerative issues that affect the lower extremities is osteoarthritis, which can make many people feel miserable. Today’s article looks at how osteoarthritis affects the lower extremities and how treatments like electroacupuncture reduce inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and restore knee and hip mobility. We talk with certified medical providers who consolidate our patients’ information to understand better how osteoarthritis affects their lower extremities. We also inform and guide patients on how electroacupuncture therapy can help reduce the inflammatory effects of osteoarthritis affecting the hips and knees. We encourage our patients to ask their associated medical providers intricate and important questions about reducing the progression of osteoarthritis through non-surgical treatments. Dr. Jimenez, D.C., includes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

Osteoarthritis Affecting The Lower Extremities

Have you been dealing with stiffness in your knees, hips, and lower back in the mornings? Do you feel like you are wobbling a bit too much when walking? Or do you think radiating heat and swelling in your knees? When people experience these inflammatory pain issues in their joints, it is due to osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disorder affecting the cartilage between the bones and the tissue components surrounding the joint. Osteoarthritis is multifactorial, meaning it can be idiopathic or secondary while influenced by heredity factors. (Bliddal, 2020) The most common places where people experience osteoarthritis are the lower back, hand, hips, and, most commonly, the knees. Some of the major environmental factors that contribute to the development of osteoarthritis include:

  • Obesity
  • Age
  • Repetitive motions
  • Family history
  • Injuries

When people are dealing with osteoarthritis, environmental factors can lead to weight overloading on the joints, which results in compression and inflammation. (Nedunchezhiyan et al., 2022

 

 

When inflammation is associated with osteoarthritis, it can cause the joints and surrounding muscle tissues to swell and feel hot to the touch. At the same time, osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of disability that can become a socio-economic issue for many people. (Yao et al., 2023) This is because many individuals with osteoarthritis have comorbidities that are associated with the effects of inflammatory cytokines, which can cause them to be physically inactive and miserable. (Katz et al., 2021) However, there are various ways to reduce the progression of osteoarthritis and reduce the inflammatory effects on the joints. 

 

Electroacupuncture Reducing Inflammation Associated With Osteoarthritis

When it comes to inflammation reduction associated with osteoarthritis, many people seek out surgical and non-surgical treatments that can help decrease the progression of this degenerative joint disease. Many people will do aqua therapy to relieve pressure off the joints and improve their mobility. At the same time, others use spinal decompression to create negative pressure on the joint space. However, many people have found that electroacupuncture can help reduce the inflammatory effects of osteoarthritis. Electroacupuncture combines electrical nerve stimulation and acupuncture by highly trained professionals that can help decrease the pain intensity in the joints and provide functionality. (Wu et al., 2020) Additionally, since osteoarthritis is associated with inflammation, electroacupuncture can promote blood circulation and adjustment of muscle tension on the joints, and improve mobility. (Zhang et al., 2023)

 

Electroacupuncture Restoring Knee & Hip Mobility

Electroacupuncture can help with hip and knee mobility as this non-surgical treatment helps promote pain limitations and muscular atrophy from biomechanical overloading, thus improving cartilage viscoelasticity. (Shi et al., 2020) This allows the joints to retain mobility in the hips, knees, and lower back. When people go through consecutive treatment for osteoporosis, they can recover their muscle strength over time to restore their mobility and reduce the progression of osteoarthritis. (Xu et al., 2020) By doing so, many people can find the relief they are looking for with electroacupuncture, which can enable them to make small changes in their daily routine to ensure they can function throughout the day. 


Chiropractic Care For Leg Instability- Video


References

Bliddal, H. (2020). [Definition, pathology and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis]. Ugeskr Laeger, 182(42). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33046193

Katz, J. N., Arant, K. R., & Loeser, R. F. (2021). Diagnosis and Treatment of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Review. JAMA, 325(6), 568-578. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.22171

Nedunchezhiyan, U., Varughese, I., Sun, A. R., Wu, X., Crawford, R., & Prasadam, I. (2022). Obesity, Inflammation, and Immune System in Osteoarthritis. Front Immunol, 13, 907750. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.907750

Shi, X., Yu, W., Wang, T., Battulga, O., Wang, C., Shu, Q., Yang, X., Liu, C., & Guo, C. (2020). Electroacupuncture alleviates cartilage degradation: Improvement in cartilage biomechanics via pain relief and potentiation of muscle function in a rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis. Biomed Pharmacother, 123, 109724. doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109724

Wu, S. Y., Lin, C. H., Chang, N. J., Hu, W. L., Hung, Y. C., Tsao, Y., & Kuo, C. A. (2020). Combined effect of laser acupuncture and electroacupuncture in knee osteoarthritis patients: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore), 99(12), e19541. doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000019541

Xu, H., Kang, B., Li, Y., Xie, J., Sun, S., Zhong, S., Gao, C., Xu, X., Zhao, C., Qiu, G., & Xiao, L. (2020). Using electroacupuncture to recover muscle strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis after total knee arthroplasty: a study protocol for a double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial. Trials, 21(1), 705. doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04601-x

Yao, Q., Wu, X., Tao, C., Gong, W., Chen, M., Qu, M., Zhong, Y., He, T., Chen, S., & Xiao, G. (2023). Osteoarthritis: pathogenic signaling pathways and therapeutic targets. Signal Transduct Target Ther, 8(1), 56. doi.org/10.1038/s41392-023-01330-w

Zhang, W., Zhang, L., Yang, S., Wen, B., Chen, J., & Chang, J. (2023). Electroacupuncture ameliorates knee osteoarthritis in rats via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and reducing pyroptosis. Mol Pain, 19, 17448069221147792. doi.org/10.1177/17448069221147792

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Spinal Decompression: How to Relieve Hip Pain Easily

Spinal Decompression: How to Relieve Hip Pain Easily

Can individuals dealing with hip pain, find the relief they are looking for from spinal decompression to reduce their sciatica pain?

Introduction

When it comes to individuals doing everyday movements, the body can be in weird positions without pain or discomfort. Hence, people can stand or sit for prolonged periods and feel all right when doing strenuous activities. However, as the body ages, the surrounding muscles and ligaments can become weak and tight, while the spinal joints and discs start to be compressed and wear and tear. This is because many individuals make repetitive motions on their bodies that cause pain-like symptoms in the back, hips, neck, and body extremities, leading to referred pain in different body locations. When individuals are experiencing musculoskeletal pain in their bodies, it can cause overlapping risk profiles that can hinder the individual and cause them to be miserable. Additionally, when people experience musculoskeletal pain in their bodies, many will seek treatment to reduce the referred pain-like symptoms associated with the musculoskeletal pain. Today’s article will examine one type of musculoskeletal pain on the hips, how it can cause sciatica pain-like problems, and how treatments like decompression can reduce the pain-like effects of hip pain correlated with sciatica. We talk with certified medical providers who consolidate our patients’ information to provide numerous treatments to relieve hip pain associated with sciatica. We also inform and guide patients on how decompression can help reduce pain-like symptoms like sciatica and restore hip mobility. We encourage our patients to ask their associated medical providers intricated and important questions about the pain-like symptoms they are experiencing from hip pain. Dr. Jimenez, D.C., incorporates this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

 

Hip Pain Associated With Sciatica

Do you often experience stiffness in your lower back and hips after sitting down for an excessive period? How about feeling radiating pain running down from your lower back to your legs? Or do you think your hip and thigh muscles become tight and weak, which is affecting your gait stability? Many individuals experiencing these pain-like issues are experiencing hip pain, and it can be an issue when it is not treated over time. Since hip pain is a common and disabling condition that is challenging to diagnose, many individuals often express localized pain in one of the three anatomic regions: the anterior, posterior, and lateral hip sections. (Wilson & Furukawa, 2014) When individuals are dealing with hip pain, they will also experience referred pain in their lower backs, which causes them to be in distress and miserable. At the same time, simple ordinary movements like sitting or standing can affect the muscles and ligaments surrounding the hips and can be damaging. This can cause hip pain to be referred from the lumbar spine and spine problems, which then cause musculoskeletal issues in the lower extremities. (Lee et al., 2018

 

 

So, how would hip pain be associated with sciatica and causing pain in many lower extremities? The hip areas in the musculoskeletal system have numerous muscles surrounding the pelvic bone area that can become tight and weak, causing referred musculoskeletal pain from intrapelvic and gynecologic issues. (Chamberlain, 2021) This means that musculoskeletal disorders like piriformis syndromes associated with hip pain can lead to sciatica. The sciatic nerve travels down from the lumbar region and the buttocks and behind the leg. When a person is dealing with sciatica and is going to their primary doctor to get treated for the pain, their doctors will do a physical examination to see what factors are causing the pain. Some of the common findings during a physical exam were tenderness and palpation of the greater sciatic notch and the reproduction of pain along the hips. (Son & Lee, 2022) This causes associated symptoms that correlate with sciatica and hip pain, including:

  • Tingling/numbing sensations
  • Muscle tenderness
  • Pain while sitting or standing
  • Discomfort

 


Is Motion The Key To Healing- Video


Spinal Decompression Reducing Hip Pain

However, many individuals will find non-surgical treatments to help reduce sciatica associated with hip pain. Non-surgical treatments are customized to a person’s pain and are cost-effective while being gentle on the spine. Spinal decompression can help reduce hip pain associated with sciatica. Decompression on the spine allows gentle traction to stretch out weak muscles along the lower back and hips while the spinal discs are experiencing negative pressure. When a person is dealing with sciatica pain associated with hip pain and trying decompression for the first time, they are provided with the relief they deserve. (Crisp et al., 1955)

 

 

Additionally, many individuals who incorporate decompression for their hip pain can begin to feel its effects as it helps improve blood flow circulation back to the hips to start the natural healing process. (Hua et al., 2019) When people begin incorporating decompression for their hip pain, they can relax as they feel all their aches and pain gradually disappear as mobility and rotation are back on the lower extremities.

 


References

Chamberlain, R. (2021). Hip Pain in Adults: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis. American Family Physician, 103(2), 81-89. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33448767

www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0115/p81.pdf

Crisp, E. J., Cyriax, J. H., & Christie, B. G. (1955). Discussion on the treatment of backache by traction. Proc R Soc Med, 48(10), 805-814. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13266831

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1919242/pdf/procrsmed00390-0081.pdf

Hua, K. C., Yang, X. G., Feng, J. T., Wang, F., Yang, L., Zhang, H., & Hu, Y. C. (2019). The efficacy and safety of core decompression for the treatment of femoral head necrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Orthop Surg Res, 14(1), 306. doi.org/10.1186/s13018-019-1359-7

Lee, Y. J., Kim, S. H., Chung, S. W., Lee, Y. K., & Koo, K. H. (2018). Causes of Chronic Hip Pain Undiagnosed or Misdiagnosed by Primary Physicians in Young Adult Patients: a Retrospective Descriptive Study. J Korean Med Sci, 33(52), e339. doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e339

Son, B. C., & Lee, C. (2022). Piriformis Syndrome (Sciatic Nerve Entrapment) Associated With Type C Sciatic Nerve Variation: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review. Korean J Neurotrauma, 18(2), 434-443. doi.org/10.13004/kjnt.2022.18.e29

Wilson, J. J., & Furukawa, M. (2014). Evaluation of the patient with hip pain. American Family Physician, 89(1), 27-34. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24444505

www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2014/0101/p27.pdf

 

Disclaimer

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Pelvic Pain Relief

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Pelvic Pain Relief

For individuals experiencing pelvic pain, can incorporating acupuncture help alleviate and reduce low back pain?

Introduction

In the musculoskeletal system, the upper and lower body portions have jobs to allow the host to be in motion. The lower body portions provide stability and maintain proper posture, which can help the surrounding muscles be strong and protect the vital organs. The skeletal joints in the body help ensure that the person’s body weight is evenly distributed. For the musculoskeletal system, the pelvic region in the lower body portion helps with stabilization and provides normal urinary function to the body. However, when normal and traumatic factors begin to affect the lower portions of the body, it can lead to pain-like issues that can cause some visceral referred pain to the lower back, and it can make many individuals think they are experiencing lower back pain, which is one of the symptoms associated with pelvic pain. When many individuals are experiencing pelvic pain associated with lower back pain, many will opt to seek treatment to reduce the pain-like symptoms and restore their body function. Today’s article looks at how pelvic pain is associated with low back pain and how treatments like acupuncture can help reduce pelvic pain associated with low back pain and provide relief. We speak with certified medical providers who incorporate our patients’ information to provide various treatments to ease low back pain correlated with pelvic pain. We also inform patients how non-surgical therapies like acupuncture can help reduce the effects of pelvic pain. We encourage our patients to ask intricated questions to our associated medical providers about the pain-like symptoms they are experiencing correlating with pelvic pain that is also causing issues in their lower backs. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., utilizes this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

 

How Pelvic Pain Is Associated With Low Back Pain?

Have you experienced excruciating pain from excessive sitting that is causing pain in your lower back or pelvic region? Do you feel stiffness in your lower back and pelvic region due to poor posture? Or are you experiencing intense cramping around your pelvic area? When many individuals are dealing with these pain-like issues, it is correlated with pelvic pain. Now, pelvic pain is a common, disabling, persistent pain that is associated with comorbidities that are multifactorial and are often centralized pain. (Dydyk & Gupta, 2023) At the same time, pelvic pain is a challenge to diagnose due to being multifactorial and sharing the numerous nerve roots that are spread out and intertwined with the lumbar region. To this point, this causes referred pain to the lower back and causes many individuals to think they are experiencing lower back pain when, in actuality, they are dealing with pelvic pain. This is due to the pelvic floor muscles becoming weak, which can cause many individuals to develop poor posture, leading to low back pain over time.

 

Additionally, when the pelvic region is misaligned due to repetitive motions that cause lower back pain, it can cause the surrounding muscles to be overstretched and loose around the sacroiliac joints. (Mutaguchi et al., 2022) When this happens, the surrounding muscles surrounding the hips and lower back may weaken, leading to anterior pelvic tilt and causing alterations to the lumbopelvic area. 

 

Since the lumbopelvic area is in the lower body portions, it can cause alterations to the body’s skeletal structure, leading to lower back pain. When an increasing number of individuals deal with spinal deformity, they will maintain a standing position while preventing their central gravity from moving forward by using their pelvic muscles to compensate for their weight. (Murata et al., 2023) When this happens, it causes the surrounding core muscles and back muscles to overstretch, which then causes the accessory muscles to produce more energy and do the primary muscles’ jobs. This causes urinary and muscle issues that cause tomato-visceral referred pain in the musculoskeletal system. However, there are numerous ways to reduce pelvic pain associated with low back pain while restoring pelvic function and restoring muscle strength to the surrounding core muscles in the pelvic region.

 


Is Motion Key To Healing- Video

Have you been experiencing any muscle stiffness around your hips, lower back, or pelvic region? Do you feel you have a limited range of motion in the morning, only for it to feel better throughout the day? Or are you experiencing bladder issues that are correlated with low back pain? Many of these pain-like scenarios are associated with pelvic pain and can cause common back pain issues that cause many individuals to be hunched over and be in constant pain. Since pelvic pain is a multifactorial musculoskeletal disorder, it can be associated with comorbidities that can cause issues to the lumbar region of the spine and affect the body’s mobility. However, numerous treatments can reduce the effects of pelvic pain and restore low back mobility to the body. When it comes to looking for treatments, many individuals will look for therapies that are cost-effective and can help reduce the referred pain that is associated with low back and pelvic pain. The video above shows how non-surgical treatments can help restore mobility to the lower extremities.


Acupuncture For Pelvic & Low Back Pain

When it comes to non-surgical treatments, many individuals will seek cost-effective treatments. Treatments like chiropractic care, spinal decompression, and massage therapy can help reduce low back pain, but for pelvic pain, many individuals will seek out acupuncture. Acupuncture is a medical practice performed by a highly trained professional that uses solid but thin needles in specific body areas. So, for individuals dealing with pelvic pain, acupuncture can help restore the balance of energy that is associated with the internal organs that are causing the pain. (Yang et al., 2022) Acupuncture can help restore power to the pelvic region by redirecting the energy to the body and helping reduce impairment and functional disorders. (Pan et al., 2023) Acupuncture can minimize low back pain by selecting certain trigger points that can influence the areas between the hips and back to unblock circulation back to the muscle. (Sudhakaran, 2021) When many people start incorporating acupuncture as part of their personalized treatment plan, they can utilize it with other therapies to feel better and improve their health.

 


References

Dydyk, A. M., & Gupta, N. (2023). Chronic Pelvic Pain. In StatPearls. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32119472

Murata, S., Hashizume, H., Tsutsui, S., Oka, H., Teraguchi, M., Ishomoto, Y., Nagata, K., Takami, M., Iwasaki, H., Minamide, A., Nakagawa, Y., Tanaka, S., Yoshimura, N., Yoshida, M., & Yamada, H. (2023). Pelvic compensation accompanying spinal malalignment and back pain-related factors in a general population: the Wakayama spine study. Sci Rep, 13(1), 11862. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39044-2

Mutaguchi, M., Murayama, R., Takeishi, Y., Kawajiri, M., Yoshida, A., Nakamura, Y., Yoshizawa, T., & Yoshida, M. (2022). Relationship between low back pain and stress urinary incontinence at 3 months postpartum. Drug Discov Ther, 16(1), 23-29. doi.org/10.5582/ddt.2022.01015

Pan, J., Jin, S., Xie, Q., Wang, Y., Wu, Z., Sun, J., Guo, T. P., & Zhang, D. (2023). Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis or Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pain Res Manag, 2023, 7754876. doi.org/10.1155/2023/7754876

Sudhakaran, P. (2021). Acupuncture for Low-Back Pain. Med Acupunct, 33(3), 219-225. doi.org/10.1089/acu.2020.1499

Yang, J., Wang, Y., Xu, J., Ou, Z., Yue, T., Mao, Z., Lin, Y., Wang, T., Shen, Z., & Dong, W. (2022). Acupuncture for low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open, 12(12), e056878. doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056878

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What You Need to Know About Gluteus Minimus Muscles

What You Need to Know About Gluteus Minimus Muscles

For individuals experiencing gluteus minimus pain and are unsure where to start to deal with it, can a physical therapist, chiropractor, or general practitioner help diagnose lower extremity pain and develop an appropriate treatment plan?

 

What You Need to Know About Gluteus Minimus Muscles

Gluteus Minimus Muscles

The gluteus minimus is the smallest muscle of the gluteal muscles. Combined with the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, these muscles make up the glutes. The glutes help form the buttocks shape, stabilize the hips, rotate the legs, and raise the thighs. The gluteus minimus and medius specifically support the gluteus maximus’s ability to raise the leg to the side and rotate the thigh inwards. (ScienceDirect. 2011)

Anatomy

  • The gluteus minimus muscles are triangular and lie underneath the gluteus medius near the rotators of the hip joints. The muscles start in the lower ilium region, the upper and largest area of the hip bone that makes up the pelvis and attaches to the femur/thigh bone.
  • The fibers on the top part of the muscle are thick and compact, while the lower fibers are flat and spread out.
  • The superior gluteal nerves and blood vessels separate the gluteus minimus and the medius.
  • The gluteus medius muscles start on the upper ilium region, which covers the gluteus minimus muscle entirely. The location of the gluteus minimus muscles envelopes the sciatic notch or the area in the pelvis that houses the piriformis muscle, superior gluteal vein, and superior gluteal artery, which provide a certain amount of protection.

Function

Movement depends on the location of the femur. The gluteus minimus muscle’s function is to:

  1. Flex
  2. Rotate
  3. Stabilize
  • When the thigh is extended, it helps abduct or swing the leg out away from the body.
  • When the hip bones are flexed, the gluteus minimus rotates the thigh inward with the help of the gluteus medius.
  • The movements are done with the support of the muscle fibers, which contract to move the thigh in both directions. (ScienceDirect. 2011)
  • The gluteus minimus and the medius also stabilize the hips and pelvis during movement and when resting.

Associated Conditions

One of the most common injuries is muscle wearing and tearing, which can cause pain over and around the greater trochanter. This is known as greater trochanteric pain syndrome or GTPS, a condition usually caused by a gluteus medius or minimus tendinopathy, which can include inflammation of the surrounding bursae. (Diane Reid. 2016) For a gluteus minimus tear, the pain/sensations will be felt outside the hip, especially when rolling or applying weight on the affected side. A tear can happen suddenly with no particular activity causing the tear to occur aside from normal use and stress on the muscle. Physical activities like walking may be painful.

Rehabilitation

Treatment depends on the severity of the condition. Usually, rest, ice, and over-the-counter medication can help reduce swelling and pain symptoms. For pain symptoms that are not subsiding, it’s recommended to see a healthcare provider who can run an MRI or X-ray to see the condition of the muscle and rule out other causes of pain. The healthcare provider will refer the patient to a physical therapy team that can evaluate the strength of the gluteus minimus and provide a list of exercises and stretches to help repair the muscle while conditioning the surrounding muscles. (SportsRec. 2017) Depending on the level of pain, sometimes the healthcare provider will prescribe a cortisone injection to the gluteus minimus muscle in conjunction with physical therapy. This will help alleviate the pain so that the physical therapy exercises can be done comfortably, allowing the gluteus maximus muscle to heal properly and strengthen. (Julie M. Labrosse et al., 2010)


The Science of Motion Chiropractic Care


References

ScienceDirect. (2011). Gluteus minimus muscle.

Reid D. (2016). The management of greater trochanteric pain syndrome: A systematic literature review. Journal of orthopaedics, 13(1), 15–28. doi.org/10.1016/j.jor.2015.12.006

SportsRec. (2017). Physical therapy exercises for the gluteus minimus.

Labrosse, J. M., Cardinal, E., Leduc, B. E., Duranceau, J., Rémillard, J., Bureau, N. J., Belblidia, A., & Brassard, P. (2010). Effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for the treatment of gluteus medius tendinopathy. AJR. American journal of roentgenology, 194(1), 202–206. doi.org/10.2214/AJR.08.1215

Comprehensive Guide to Recovery from Osteitis Pubis Injury

Comprehensive Guide to Recovery from Osteitis Pubis Injury

Athletes and physically active individuals who participate in activities, exercises, and sports that involve kicking, pivoting, and/or shifting directions can develop pelvis overuse injury of the pubic symphysis/joint at the front of the pelvis known as osteitis pubis. Can recognizing the symptoms and causes help in treatment and prevention?

Comprehensive Guide to Recovery from Osteitis Pubis Injury

Osteitis Pubis Injury

Osteitis pubis is the inflammation of the joint that connects the pelvic bones, called the pelvic symphysis, and the structures around it. The pubic symphysis is a joint in front of and below the bladder. It holds the two sides of the pelvis together in the front. The pubis symphysis has very little motion, but when abnormal or continued stress is placed on the joint, groin and pelvic pain can present. An osteitis pubis injury is a common overuse injury in physically active individuals and athletes but can also occur as the result of physical trauma, pregnancy, and/or childbirth.

Symptoms

The most common symptom is pain over the front of the pelvis. The pain is most often felt in the center, but one side may be more painful than the other. The pain typically radiates/spreads outward. Other signs and symptoms include: (Patrick Gomella, Patrick Mufarrij. 2017)

  • Lower abdominal pain in the center of the pelvis
  • Limping
  • Hip and/or leg weakness
  • Difficulty climbing stairs
  • Pain when walking, running, and/or shifting directions
  • Clicking or popping sounds with movement or when shifting directions
  • Pain when lying down on the side
  • Pain when sneezing or coughing

Osteitis pubis can be confused with other injuries, including a groin strain/groin pull, a direct inguinal hernia, ilioinguinal neuralgia, or a pelvic stress fracture.

Causes

An osteitis pubis injury usually occurs when the symphysis joint is exposed to excessive, continued, directional stress and overuse of the hip and leg muscles. Causes include: (Patrick Gomella, Patrick Mufarrij. 2017)

  • Sports activities
  • Exercising
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Pelvic injury like a severe fall

Diagnosis

The injury is diagnosed based on a physical examination and imaging tests. Other tests may be used to rule out other possible causes.

  • The physical exam will involve manipulation of the hip to place tension on the rectus abdominis trunk muscle and adductor thigh muscle groups.
  • Pain during the manipulation is a common sign of the condition.
  • Individuals may be asked to walk to look for irregularities in gait patterns or to see if symptoms occur with certain movements.
  1. X-rays will typically reveal joint irregularities as well as sclerosis/thickening of the pubic symphysis.
  2. Magnetic resonance imaging – MRI may reveal joint and surrounding bone inflammation.
  3. Some cases will show no signs of injury on an X-ray or MRI.

Treatment

Effective treatment can take several months or longer. Because inflammation is the underlying cause of symptoms, the treatment will often involve: (Tricia Beatty. 2012)

Rest

  • Allows the acute inflammation to subside.
  • During recovery, sleeping flat on the back may be recommended to reduce pain.

Ice and Heat Applications

  • Ice packs help reduce inflammation.
  • The heat helps ease pain after the initial swelling has gone down.

Physical Therapy

Anti-inflammatory Medication

  • Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications – NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen can reduce pain and inflammation.

Assistive Walking Devices

  • If the symptoms are severe, crutches or a cane may be recommended to reduce stress on the pelvis.

Cortisone

  • There have been attempts to treat the condition with cortisone injections, but the evidence supporting its use is limited and needs further research. (Alessio Giai Via, et al., 2019)

Prognosis

Once diagnosed, the prognosis for full recovery is optimal but can take time. It can take some individuals six months or more to return to pre-injury level of function, but most return by around three months. If conservative treatment fails to provide relief after six months, surgery could be recommended. (Michael Dirkx, Christopher Vitale. 2023)


Sports Injuries Rehabilitation


References

Gomella, P., & Mufarrij, P. (2017). Osteitis pubis: A rare cause of suprapubic pain. Reviews in urology, 19(3), 156–163. doi.org/10.3909/riu0767

Beatty T. (2012). Osteitis pubis in athletes. Current sports medicine reports, 11(2), 96–98. doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e318249c32b

Via, A. G., Frizziero, A., Finotti, P., Oliva, F., Randelli, F., & Maffulli, N. (2018). Management of osteitis pubis in athletes: rehabilitation and return to training – a review of the most recent literature. Open access journal of sports medicine, 10, 1–10. doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S155077

Dirkx M, Vitale C. Osteitis Pubis. [Updated 2022 Dec 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556168/