If you are suffering from hip pain, you know how excruciating and debilitating it can be. Simple activities like standing from a seated position or walking can become anywhere from uncomfortable to impossible due to the pain inside or surrounding the hip.
However, hip pain is not simply relegated to older people who have fallen and fractured their pelvis, either. In fact, athletes, dancers, and younger people with an active lifestyle can also develop hip pain. Because it is a ball and socket joint with numerous tendon and ligament connections outside it, there are multiple ways the joint can become damaged, causing inflammation and pain.
Causes of Hip Pain
Beyond a fracture of the pelvis, there are numerous ways that a hip can become damaged and result in tremendous burning or acute pain:
- Arthritis – as we age, the cartilage inside the ball socket can wear away, causing inflammation and degradation of the bone, causing inflammation and nerve damage. Osteoarthritis can be brought about over time by strenuous activities such as marathon running or just simply through normal daily life, but the pain of the inflammation can make standing or walking nearly impossible.
- Bursitis – the fluid-filled sacs on the outside of the hip that protect the tendons and muscles can become inflamed, interfering with their ability to cushion the muscles and connective tissue from contact with bone.
- Labral tear – the labrum is a cartilage band that surrounds the outside of the hip socket. Overuse and strain can cause a small tear in the cartilage, which causes intense pain when you stand or otherwise put weight on the joint.
- Tendonitis – repetitive stress on the hip flexor muscles can cause damage to the surrounding tendons, so those who engage in repeated strenuous activity involving their hips, like kicking a soccer ball or overdoing it on leg day at the gym, can suffer from tendon damage.
These, and other issues such as hernia or pelvic floor problems, can cause enough pain that you might want to seek drastic measures like invasive surgery. Like any surgery, hip surgery has the potential to put you at risk for infection, involve extensive recovery times, and require you to be on a pain management regimen with potentially addictive medications. Luckily there are alternatives.
Platelet-rich Plasma Treatment for Hip Pain
Suppose you are looking for an alternative to invasive surgery and medication. In that case, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can provide you with a solution that takes advantage of the body’s own healing processes. If the medical team decides that PRP treatments are appropriate in your case, they begin by removing some of your own blood and separating out the components. This allows them to create a concentrated solution of platelets, the cells in your body that promote healing.
Through a process of intercellular communication, the platelets release cytokines and amino acids that send messages to damaged tissue, promoting healing and cellular regrowth. The damaged tissue is gradually replaced by the body’s healing mechanisms with healthier cells, reducing the inflammation that is causing the pain.
If you would like more information about treatments we offer for hip pain relief, contact our office today for a free consultation.