Pain in your hips can cause difficulty when you sit, stand, walk, or bend. If your hip pain is caused by arthritis, bursitis, or rheumatic disease, it’s important to stay mobile to prevent stiffness, especially with winter approaching. If pain is constant and caused by degeneration of the hip joint, or you suffer a fall and injury to your hip, it might be time to discuss hip replacement surgery.
Five ways to reduce hip pain
You can naturally reduce hip pain with some simple lifestyle changes. These aren’t cure-alls, but can help you keep flare-ups of pain under control. If you’re still in pain, contact Dr. Strasburger to discuss your options.
Try to achieve a healthy weight
Bearing too much weight can exponentially increase joint pain. If you aren’t at a healthy weight, try to lose a few pounds through sensible eating and gentle exercise. This can take weight off of your hip joints and reduce the amount of pain you feel.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods
Adding anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods to your diet can help reduce joint irritation, inflammation, and swelling. Your hips will thank you if you eat some of these foods weekly, especially if you’re substituting them for less healthy options:
- Dark, leafy greens
- Fatty fish such as salmon
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Avocados
- Fresh or frozen berries
- Nuts and seeds
Also make sure you get plenty of vitamin C (citrus fruits are a good source.) Vitamin C helps boost collagen formation, which can cushion your hip joints.
Stay active
You only need small amounts of exercise to help your body stay flexible and strong. Working out for ten minutes twice a day can help you build strong muscles, improve your balance, increase flexibility and mobility, and even slow the progression of bone loss. Make sure you warm up, stretch, and cool down even for small workouts. Look for low impact options like water aerobics to make your workouts pain free, and always talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
Don’t ignore pain
Pain signals exist for a reason. Slight discomfort is one thing, but “pushing through” hip pain is usually a bad idea. If you have more than a little muscle soreness after activity, can’t sleep due to hip pain at night, or have sharp shooting pains when you try to work out, it’s time to get professional help.
Update your home
If your living area requires you to constantly go up and down stairs, stoop, crouch, and bend, or otherwise stress your joints, it might be time to readjust how you store things and where you spend most of your time. Consider revamping for a bedroom on a bottom floor, and putting things you use most within easy reach.
Are you suffering from constant hip pain? Contact us to request an appointment that fits your schedule.