As a chiropractor, most of the problems we see revolve around problems with the low back. This is partly because that’s what chiropractors are best known for and because low back pain is the most common health problem in the UK. However, today I want to discuss hip pain because it is something that is a regular problem for patients to present with in our clinic.
Hip pain affects around 10% of the population, increasing to around 14% of those over the age of 60. Depending on what part of your body you define as your hip it can have a different cause.
Finding the true source
Some patients point to the base of their low back as the area of concern. Pain here is likely coming from the sacroiliac joint or peripheral nerve irritation. Other patients describe their hip as being the bony bit on the outside of their upper leg, with pain here likely being caused by irritation of the gluteal tendons or the iliotibial band. The final problem area is into the groin. Pain into the groin is likely caused by problems within the hip joint itself, such as osteoarthritis or damage to the cartilage.
In summary, the hip has different regions to it and the region of the pain dictates the most likely cause of the problem. This, in turn, determines the type of treatment that is required.
For example, if a patient has a hip pain that can be traced back to a problem with their sacroiliac joint, the best course of action is to provide short term pain relief. This could be in the form of administering hands-on treatment, followed by rehab to progressively load the joint up again.
Alternatively, if the patient has lateral hip pain coming from gluteal tendon irritation, then the best course of action is to engage in a strength-focussed rehabilitation programme. This could involve using weights or resistance bands, starting at lower weights and then building up slowly over time, with the patient performing this around three times per week.
Finally, if the pain is coming from problems within the ball and socket joint itself, then it’s important for the clinician to determine whether they believe an x-ray or MRI is necessary. For milder cases of osteoarthritis, a scan is unlikely to provide the clinician with any extra information that would alter the course of treatment.
In this instance, it is appropriate for the patient to receive some hands-on treatment and an exercise programme. If the clinician suspects there is a labral tear or extensive osteoarthritis present that is causing the pain, then a scan would be necessary to gain further information. It is important to decide whether invasive treatment, such as steroid injections or surgery, is necessary for recovery.
Early treatment gets results
Two long term studies found that hip problems are particularly recurrent and persistent with many participants in the studies experiencing ongoing problems past one year from onset.
If you’re suffering from hip problems, it’s important to visit your doctor or chiropractor in order to decipher the cause of pain and engage in early intervention. However, if invasive treatment such as surgery is not necessary, then the treatment you receive must include exercise.
A research paper fairly recently found that positive long-term outcomes for osteoarthritic hip problems were only achieved from exercise. So, getting an exercise programme that will help you recover and self-manage the problem is of the utmost importance.
Too often when I see patients with hip problems, they’ve been told the only solution is a hip replacement. The research that I have laid out in this article suggests that hip pain has many different causes and requires a different treatment dependent on that cause. Most of the time that treatment must include exercise, with research showing even arthritic hip pain can be managed using ongoing exercise.
This article by Rob Bailey first appeared in the Diss Express in July 2026.
