Hip and Pelvis
The hip is a ball and socket joint. It is the second largest weight bearing joint in the body. Physiotherapists are experts at assessing for biomechanical imbalance and planning specifically tailored individual programmes that maintain your range of movement, strength and function and educate you about your condition.
Treatment may include:
- All post-operative rehabilitation for any hip surgery
- Assessment and correction of movement patterning and adaptive postures
- Assessment and correction of muscle imbalance
- Gait re-education
- Exercises to improve balance and proprioception
- Massage, mobilisation and tissue release
- Stability exercises
- Postural retraining
- Scar tissue management
- Passive and active range of movement exercises
- Strengthening
- Taping for proprioception and pain relief
- Ultrasound
Examples of Conditions Treated:
Osteoarthritis
Articular cartilage is a smooth white lining that covers the surfaces of the ball and socket. It has roles in shock absorption, lubrication, friction reduction and nourishing the bone underneath it. Osteoarthritis occurs when the articular cartilage degenerates or is worn down. In some cases the bone immediately below the cartilage thickens and hardens and can form small bony outcrops called osteophytes.
Labral Tear
The hip is a ball and socket joint. Sitting around the rim of the socket is a ring of cartilage known as the labrum. The labrum deepens and increases the surface area of the joint. It also has roles in lubrication, shock absorption and distribution of load. An intact labrum helps to seal the joint allowing forces to be distributed through the synovial fluid within it. This greatly reduces the amount of load going directly through the articular cartilage lining the joint.
Labral tears can occur as a result of injury, overload, degeneration or altered biomechanics.
Femoroacetabular impingement
The labrum can be pinched as a result of altered biomechanics at the hip joint if either the socket (the acetabulum) or the ball (the femoral head) aren’t articulating correctly.
Cam Impingement
If the femoral head isn’t as round as it should be, it can’t rotate smoothly in the receiving socket and may jam against the labrum or shear the cartilage lining the acetabulum on movement.
Pincer Impingement
This occurs when the rim of the socket sticks out too far and covers too much of the femoral head. It means that the area of the thigh bone just below the femoral head, the neck of the femur, may bump or pinch the labrum.