Hip & Knee Pain
Pain in the hips and/or knees may be caused by the joints themselves, or it may be the result of another part of the body moving dysfunctionally. Repetitive dysfunctional movements create imbalances that eventually cause pain that limits function.
Common Conditions
Common hip conditions include arthritis, labral tears, trochanteric bursitis, fractures, severe stiffness resulting in pain, and SI joint issues that affect the hip.
Typical knee issues include patellofemoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia, arthritis, patella tracking or instability, iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, meniscus tear, ACL/MCL/PCL/LCL tears, and bakers cysts.
Common causes of hip and knee pain
Sitting! Sitting, even in the most perfect posture possible, causes your hip flexors and lumbar extensors to shorten, your abs and gluts to weaken. This creates hip tightness and lumbopelvic instability that we call lower cross syndrome. With enough sitting it is inevitable to have back or hip pain. If you must sit (like most of us) it is important to learn how to reverse the negative effects.
Overuse injuries such as tendinitis and chronic muscle strain are also common. Acute injuries, such as sprains, strains, ligament tears, dislocations, contusions, and muscle tears also benefit from physical therapy intervention.
Pain when walking
Walking requires an obvious coordinated effort between your hips, knees, and your feet. Less obvious to some, efficient walking also requires coordination of your spine and upper body. Knee pain when walking frequently comes from dysfunctional movement of another part of your body, often your hip or ankle, but sometimes your shoulder or spine.
If the injury is acute or traumatic, it is important not to create a habit of guarding or ‘walking stiff’, where you don’t allow the rest of your body to move reciprocally. In this case the injury site must be treated as well.
