From Our Blog

Lower Body – Hip

Running After a Total Hip Replacement

While many surgeons say no to resuming a running program after a total hip replacement, others say you can do so depending on the bone quality and the prosthetic materials used to replace the worn hip joint. In surgery, the damaged cartilage and bone are removed and replaced with metal, plastic or ceramic joint surfaces. […]

Tight Hips and Shrinking Muscles: Sitting in a Heap of Trouble

We are a country of workaholic couch potatoes. No matter how good our intentions, the sad fact is that many of us work 9-to-5 office jobs, sitting in a chair (and often sitting with terrible posture), hunched over a computer for the majority of the day. In addition to those myriad problems related to this […]

Total Hip Replacement: Getting Up and Going

If you are about to have your hip replaced, you will need to begin a rehabilitation program very soon after the procedure is completed. The type of rehabilitation will vary with the surgical technique used to attach the metal prosthesis to the femur. This artificial ball and stem can be affixed either with bony cement […]

Hip Pain After Hip Replacement Surgery

Depending on how recently your hip surgery was performed, the hip pain you experience afterward could be quite normal. It will be minimized if you remember to diligently follow your surgeon’s specific instructions about what you can and cannot do in the first few weeks after surgery. In fact, a program of physical therapy exercises—begun […]

Core Reasons to Strengthen Your Core

Everyone seems to be talking about “core strengthening,” but many people don’t know what this phrase means. The body’s “core” refers to the muscles around the abdomen, pelvis, back, shoulders, chest and hips—the body’s center of gravity—all working together in a symphony of movement. As a result, it plays a role in virtually all activities. […]

Does Osteoarthritis in the Hip Joint Necessitate Surgery?

Most people with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip joint never need joint replacement surgery. Surgery only becomes an option if the person suffers from severe pain in the joint that is unrelieved by available treatment methods, with a dramatically impaired ability to perform daily activities and marked joint instability. Simpler treatments to relieve pain, increase […]

They Said They “Pinned” My Mother’s Hip – What Does That Mean?

“Pinning” is shorthand for surgical repair of a broken hip . In all likelihood, your mother suffered a fracture at or near where the femur (the large bone at the top of the leg) enters the hip joint. Also called “internal fixation,” this common procedure involves stabilizing the broken bones with steel rods, screws and/or […]

Hip Resurfacing: An Alternative to Hip Replacement

If your surgeon has suggested “resurfacing” your hip, he or she probably believes you are a good candidate for a newer procedure that has gained popularity in the past few years: hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Unlike a traditional hip replacement, where the entire head of the femur (the long bone in your thigh that fits into [...]

New Hip? Keep Up the Workouts

Total hip replacement has become a more common remedy for hip deterioration and pain in recent years. However, most physicians recommend continuing physical therapy afterward. Isn’t healing from the surgery enough? While total hip replacement is no excuse for avoiding activities that help you stay healthy and fit, many people who have had a total [...]

Get Hip to the Source of Groin Pain

Groin pain can have many causes, including a pulled muscle, hernia or pinched nerve in the back. However, one of the most common causes of groin pain is actually hip pain that is “referred” to the groin. While we usually associate our hip with the outside of the hip bone, the hip joint is actually […]

Strong Hips = Strong Knees

If you are undertaking a physical therapy program for knee pain or injury, it might strike you as odd that so much focus is put on increasing strength and flexibility in your hips. After all, your hips aren’t the problem. But here’s something you may not know: While your pain and difficulty moving may be […]

Getting Hip to Arthroscopic Surgery

Much like surgery of the shoulder or knee, arthroscopic hip surgery is finding more and more favor among surgeons. It is utilized when painful hip conditions fail to respond to more conservative nonsurgical remedies. Arthroscopic surgery can be used to address damage to the labrum, articular cartilage, and surrounding soft tissue and muscle to reduce […]

Get Hip (and Knee) to Total Joint Replacement Surgery

Does it seem as though everyone is having a total joint replacement? Well, not only are older Americans taking advantage of total knee or hip replacement but younger patients—especially the athletically driven baby-boomer generation—are opting to have the surgery as well. Total joint replacement involves surgically removing parts of an arthritic or damaged joint and […]

The Pain of a Pinching Hip

A very complex joint in the body, the hip is formed by a ball on the end of the thighbone (femur) that sits in a socket formed by a cavity (acetabulum) in the pelvic bone. The ball is held in place by a very powerful ligament, and both the ball and socket are covered by […]

It Is Hip to Keep Moving

As we age, some things seem inevitable. Our hair gets grayer, our skin begins to wrinkle and (hopefully) we gain the perspective of a life well lived. But there is one thing that does not need to be inevitable: hip pain. While tightness in the hips is a common problem in the senior set, hip […]

Be Hip to Metal-on-Metal Implants

If you have had a hip replaced with a metal-on-metal (MoM) implant, you may be concerned about reports of health problems with this type of artificial joint. Hip implants are fabricated from metal, plastic, ceramic or a combination of materials. Each type has risks and benefits, and it is up to you and your surgeon […]

Is Anterior Superior? Hip Replacement Options

Patients may find recovery from a total hip replacement (THR) performed with the newer anterior (front) approach easier than that performed with the traditional posterior (back) approach. To reach your hip joint, the surgeon makes an incision in the front of your leg and separates muscles, rather than cutting and reattaching them, as would happen […]

Treating Hip Labrum Abnormality and Tears

Your recent MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan was read as a hip labrum abnormality, but this does not necessarily mean that you will have to undergo surgery.Many people with labrum tears and abnormalities show no symptoms whatsoever and are not impeded by the condition. The hip labrum is the ring of cartilage surrounding the hip […]

Is Piriformis Syndrome Getting on Your (Sciatic) Nerve?

Characterized by tingling, numbness and pain deep in the buttock, piriformis syndrome describes what happens when the piriformis muscle, a muscle located in the buttocks near the top of the hip that stabilizes the hip joint and enables us to walk, shift our weight from one foot to another and maintain balance, compresses the sciatic […]

The Hip Solution to Knee Pain

The knee is one of the easiest parts of the body to injure because it is used for many motions the body performs. Common acute injuries are caused by sudden stops and turns during activities such as soccer and tennis. Pain may also occur after exercise, but you may also feel it if you sit […]

Hip, Hip, Hooray: Reducing Hip Pain

Hip pain can have many causes. One of the most common, especially in the over-50, is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage and, sometimes, underlying bone degenerate within a joint; on occasion bone grows where it should not be, causing painful spurs. Of the more than 100 forms of arthritis, it is the kind that occurs […]

Hip Replacement: Game, Set, Match?

Jake Johnson was an avid tennis player before pain from a degenerative hip joint took him o the courts. When his doctor said that he needed total hip replacement surgery, he thought his tennis playing days were over. But were they? In the past, most surgeons recommended against playing tennis after a hip replacement. Today, […]

Tee Off with Your New Hip

Can you return to golf after having your hip replaced? The good news is, yes, you can. In fact, Jack Nicklaus played in a Senior PGA tournament four months after his hip replacement—after an initial no-golf period of two months following the surgery. And most orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists give that general advice to […]

That Groin Pain May Be Your Hip

Both male and female competitive athletes often develop an unexplained pain in the groin. This pain occurs most often when the athlete pivots or twists and can be intense enough to end a career. Recent research suggests that this groin pain may actually arise from damage to the hip joint. The hip is a ball […]

Persepctives for Patients – Total Hip Replacement

Are you considering a hip replacement? If so, you probably have been suffering from hip pain that makes daily activities difficult. If physical therapy, walking aids (cane or walker), or medications have not helped decrease your pain or improve your ability to get around, you and your orthopaedic surgeon may be discussing a hip replacement. […]

Persistence, Patience Speed Recovery from Hip Replacement

Say you need hip replacement surgery. Naturally, one of the first questions you want answered is when you will be fully recovered from the surgery. Unfortunately, the answer is that you will not return to your normal activities overnight. But recovery is not all that challenging, if you approach it correctly. Full recovery usually takes […]

Dive Into Water Therapy After Hip Replacement

So you are facing hip replacement surgery, and your physician has recommended water therapy as a form of rehabilitation. You are hesitant, but the facts are that water therapy uses the physical properties of water to assist in patient healing and exercise performance. It can be a very safe, effective method of rehabilitation after hip […]

Recovering from Hip Impingement Surgery

When otherwise healthy young and middle-aged adults—particularly those who have participated in sports—develop hip stiffness and hip or groin pain, the cause may be hip impingement, or femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI). FAI can be caused by repetitive use or by bone abnormalities from an old injury to the hip. The pain may occur when a person […]

Returning to Normal After a Hip Fracture

Hip fracture, a serious injury that usually requires surgery, occurs more commonly in older adults, particularly where underlying conditions such as osteoporosis are present. While surgical procedures are usually effective, recovery often hinges on more than just the surgery. Your overall health, previous level of mobility and whether you begin and stick to a physical […]

Move Your Hips After Hip Arthroscopy

Arthroscopy, a procedure using a small fiber-optic camera device, has revolutionized hip joint surgery. Often recommended for athletes or those with degenerative arthritis, it is used to remove damaged tissue or splintered-off cartilage floating around the hip joint or to reattach structures within the hip. A surgeon uses a small incision to insert a tiny […]

A Smooth Recovery After Hip Resurfacing

If you are undergoing a Birmingham Hip resurfacing procedure, you probably have questions about rehabilitation and physical therapy. The Birmingham Hip procedure involves placing a new metal surface on your hipbone to slide against a metal socket surface. This procedure is longer lasting, ideal for active patients, less invasive and preserves more bone than traditional […]

Take Care of Your New Hip

While hip pain and stiffness that interfere with daily activities may be alleviated with medication, your physician may recommend total hip replacement to relieve pain and restore function. Hip replacement surgery is generally safe and effective. But you must do your part to make the procedure a success. Physical therapy is essential to recovery. We […]