Hip Pain Treatment in Knoxville

Hip pain usually doesn’t show up all at once. For a lot of people, it builds slowly.

Maybe it’s a pinch when you stand up after sitting. Maybe it’s stiffness during a workout that didn’t used to bother you. Or it’s that dull ache that just kind of hangs around and never fully goes away.

We see all versions of this at Knoxville Spine and Sports. Some patients are active and dealing with lifting or running issues. Others notice it from sitting most of the day or doing the same movements over and over.

Most have already tried to manage it on their own before coming in. That’s usually when it makes sense to take a closer look at what’s actually driving it and start a more structured plan for hip pain treatment in Knoxville.

Hip Pain Conditions We Treated

Hip pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including injuries and chronic illnesses. Some of the most common causes and symptoms of hip pain are listed below.

Tight Hip Flexors

Tight hip flexors can be caused by many different things but in our current society, most often it is caused by sitting too much and poor posture. Certainly, traumatic incidents that cause damage to certain tissues of the hip will also result in a loss of motion.

With a loss of motion in the hips, the muscles of the hip will shorten, which is more than likely the cause of the tightness. The most common symptoms of tight hip flexors are groin pain, sometimes pain in the lower back, limited motion, swelling, popping, and clicking. Our chiropractors and physical therapists treat these symptoms and causes through manipulations of the hip and surrounding joints along with dry needling, a form of stretching known as the active release technique, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization.

Impingement

Hip impingement can be caused by two things. The first is if the head of the femur is misshaped, and the second is if the socket part of the hip joint is too deep. With these two abnormalities in the hip, some of the soft tissue around the joint can become entrapped or pinched with movement.

The most frequently experienced symptoms with a hip impingement are stiffness, decreased mobility, and pain in the hip with or without activity. Sometimes pain can be present in other areas than the hip such as the groin or the lower back. The pain comes on most often after the hip has been in a flexed position for a long period such as with sitting, but also with bouts of forceful hip flexion such as with squatting, leg press, deadlift, etc. We treat these problems by using deep soft tissue mobilization, adjustments to the hips and surrounding joints, stretching (ART), hip pain exercises to strengthen the hip extensors, and dry needling.

Sciatica

Sciatica is caused by compression of any part of the sciatic nerve be it where it comes out of the spine or further down the chain. Compression at the level of the spine can be due to a herniated disc, which is when the soft inside of the disc begins to push out of the tough outer layer and into the nerve root that lives just behind it. Spinal stenosis can cause compression on the nerve as well. This is when the holes that the spinal cord runs through begin to narrow, creating less space in the spine where the nerves travel. One other way compression might be present is if there is a bone spur or bony growth on the side of the joint that may begin to press on the nerve.

The compression on these nerves can cause many symptoms such as pain that radiates from the lower back to the hip and down the leg. Other symptoms may be inflammation, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. The pain can vary in type, intensity, and location, often requiring specialized hip pain relief in Knoxville to address the root cause. Some things that can cause pain to increase are prolonged sitting, sneezing, and coughing. The treatments for this condition change based on the site of irritation, but therapies we utilize include strengthening and stabilizing exercises, dry needling, manual manipulations, stretches, and ergonomic changes.

Bursitis

Bursitis is caused by repetitive movements and positions that cause pressure on the bursae around the hip joint. Bursae are tiny little sacs that are filled with fluid to provide a cushion and a gliding movement to decrease friction in joint surfaces. When these bursae become inflamed there is pain around the hip and down the outer thigh that is increased with prolonged walking, an increased amount of squatting, stair climbing, lying on the affected hip, and standing up after sitting for a while. The most common hip bursitis treatment that helps relieve the symptoms and correct the condition of bursitis are stretching, strengthening, adjustments, and modalities to manage and reduce inflammation.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is caused by an inflammation of the tendons in and around the hip most commonly due to overuse. This inflammation from overuse can be caused by high-intensity sports or exercise, running, bicycling, and swimming. Symptoms that you may experience with tendinitis are a limited range of motion, pain in the front of the hip, and swelling. We treat this by using modalities to decrease inflammation, dry needling, adjustments, and strengthening exercises.

Treatment Options for Hip Pain

When someone comes in with hip pain, we’re not just looking at where it hurts. We’re looking at how they move, because that usually tells us more than anything else.

From there, treatment tends to be a mix of a few things, depending on what we find.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic adjustments are used to relieve pressure on body parts such as the hip. Chiropractic care for the hips promotes healing by affecting the nervous system through joint dysfunction correction. This promotes healing and can help patients recover more quickly from injuries.

Physical Therapy

This is where a lot of the long-term change happens. If the glutes and surrounding muscles aren’t doing their job, the body will keep falling into the same pattern. Rehab helps build strength and control so movement feels more balanced. Our physical therapy clinic in Knoxville specializes in treating a wide range of health-related issues and injuries. Each patient is given a thorough assessment and hip pain treatments without surgery. Their progress is monitored at each visit to ensure that they receive the best treatment for their problem.

Dry Needling

Some people have very specific tight spots in the muscles around the hip that don’t respond well to stretching alone. Dry needling can help release those areas and reduce some of that deep, stubborn tension.

Shockwave Therapy

In more chronic cases, especially when things have been irritated for a while, shockwave therapy may be used to help stimulate blood flow and support tissue recovery. It’s not for everyone, but in the right situation, it can help move things forward.

Taken together, this approach to hip pain treatment in Knoxville is less about quick fixes and more about changing the way the joint is being used day to day.

Why Knoxville Patients Choose Us

Most people who come in are looking for something that actually sticks, not just short-term relief.

What we focus on is pretty simple:

• We pay attention to how you move, not just where it hurts
• We build the plan around what we actually see, not a template
• We combine hands-on care with rehab so results last longer
• We look for the cause, not just the symptoms
• We keep the goal centered on getting you back to normal activity

Hip Pain Treatment by Knoxville Spine & Sports

If you’re dealing with ongoing hip pain that keeps affecting how you move, exercise, or get through your day, it may be time to take a closer look at what’s really going on. At Knoxville Spine and Sports, we regularly help patients seeking hip pain treatment in Knoxville who are experiencing these exact challenges.

Whether your symptoms are coming from joint restriction, muscle imbalance, or movement compensation patterns, our chiropractors and physical therapists will begin with a thorough evaluation to identify the root cause. From there, we create a personalized care plan focused on reducing pain, restoring strength, and improving mobility so you can get back to moving with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions