Chronic hip pain is a condition that can make life very difficult. Unfortunately, treatment options like heat, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications tend only to offer temporary relief. This is why some people dealing with the condition turn to acupuncture. Over the years, it has worked well for many patients.
Nonetheless, there is still some debate regarding whether acupuncture can really help with chronic pain. However, with time, evidence has shown that it does indeed offer relief for a huge number of individuals experiencing hip pain.
Which Areas of the Body Do Patients Experience Hip Pain?
People tend to experience hip pain in different places besides the hip joint. In some cases, it can be prevalent in the pelvis, buttocks, groin, or on the side of the hip.
The pain level also tends to vary from one person to the next. Some can feel it radiating from the lower back, whereas others can experience it only in the hip joint or down the leg. However, regardless of where the pain is experienced, acupuncture can offer critical relief.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
If you are experiencing new hip pain, you must first get a proper diagnosis from your physician to rule out any serious medical issues. Once you do this, you can begin to consider acupuncture.
When you visit a clinic like The Brost Clinic for acupuncture, a specially trained acupuncturist will insert hair-thin needles into your skin on specific areas of your body that could be contributing to your hip pain, offering you some levels of pain relief.
The primary basis or thought process behind acupuncture is that the needles inserted into the skin will help correct your body’s energy flow and ease the pain you are experiencing by affecting your hormone levels, neurotransmitters, and immune system.
You could be wondering how many acupuncture procedures one has to undergo before they start to see results. In most cases, weekly treatments are required until you begin to feel the effects of the procedure. From this point, you can gradually go longer between appointments.
What Kinds of Hip Pain Can Acupuncture Treat
Sciatica
Sciatica is the pain a person experiences because of an underlying nerve abnormality, typically because of a herniated disc or other factors that may result in pressure on the sciatic nerve. Some of its symptoms include weakness in the legs, shooting pain and numbness in the back, and pain along the sciatic nerve.
Hip Arthritis
The ends of our bones are protected by cartilage that helps to prevent the ones found on our joints from rubbing against each other. When this cartilage wears out, it leads to the pain brought on by hip osteoarthritis. Some of the symptoms associated with this condition can be addressed by acupuncture services.
Hip Bursitis
This condition occurs when the tiny fluid-filled bursae situated between the tendons, bones, and muscles get inflamed. Some of the causes include intense and repetitive sports motions, manual labor, and extended periods of kneeling.
Acupuncture for hip pain is often used to deal with common symptoms of hip bursitis, such as stiff hips, hip pain from movement, swelling, and redness.
Takeaway
Hip pain is a common condition that can be treated with standard acupuncture practices, particularly since its prevalence within a majority of the population is approximately 10% and only goes up with age. Hip pain patients can also benefit significantly from acupuncture treatment that western medicine has yet to deal with completely. Today, you will find many patients embracing acupuncture to get the pain relief they need. In addition, it has proven to be a very useful methodology among hip pain patients throughout the United States.