How physical therapy can help hip osteoarthritis

Hip osteoarthritis or hip OA as I will call it, is a degenerative condition of the hip which causes pain and decreased mobility secondary to tightening of the hip joint capsule and wearing of the cartilage between your thigh bone and pelvis. I recently saw a patient diagnosed with hip OA and she was prescribed Meloxicam and physical therapy by her doctor. When we were talking during her evaluation, she said she wasn’t sure why she needed physical therapy or what it could do for her because she knew she couldn’t “cure” her arthritis and she said the Meloxicam was working great and her pain was gone. I explained to her that while it’s true we couldn’t “cure” her arthritis, that I could give her tools to improve her mobility and decrease pain without having to rely on longterm use of anti-inflammatories. Our bodies are great at compensating or finding the path of least resistance, so for example, if you have tightness in your hip, your body while seek to find movement elsewhere in order to compensate, which often in the case of decreased hip mobility could also lead to low back problems. I was able to give her a few stretches she could perform at home in order to maintain what she does in the clinic in between her physical therapy sessions.

As a physical therapist, I can help give you the tools to decrease pain, improve mobility and range of motion if you are struggling with hip osteoarthritis so that you don’t have to rely on medication or avoid the activities you enjoy doing. Please call or text today for your initial evaluation and I’ll be happy to meet your and see how I can help!

Jeff

(737)334-9310

jeff@physioxpt.com