Belfast Chiropractor helps with hip knee and low back pain

The hip is an extremely unique joint. The strength of the ligaments and muscles surrounding it, the way it works in weight bearing activities is unlike any other joint in the human body. 

The hip joint is a synovial joint. It is a ball-in-socket joint that is made up of the femoral head and the acetabulum. 

The intimate relationship between the hip and the surrounding joints means that each joint affects the next. For example - inward rolling of the foot and ankle results in a knocked knee, which can then shift the hip outwards. The pelvis will then drop down on that side, unlevelling the sacrum and the lower spine curves to compensate as the Brain's ultimate goal is keeping your eyes level.

When your hip hurts, your Doctor of Chiropractic will examine and treat the WHOLE lower kinetic chain—the Spine, Pelvis, Hip, Knee, Ankle and Foot —as ALL are so closely related to each other.

When it comes to managing you and your hip pain, be prepared for management of any of the following:

Ankle pronation: This is the inward rolling of the ankle often associated with a flat foot. When viewing someone with ankle pronation from behind, the angle from the Achilles tendon to the ground will lean inward when it normally should be perpendicular.

Knocked-knees: Ankle pronation can result in “knocked-knees” (genu valgus) which overloads or jams the outer knee joint, over-stretching the inner knee joint and ligaments. The knee cap (patella) then rides excessively hard on the outer surface of the femoral groove in which it glides as one bends and straightens their knee, causing knee cap pain.

Hip inward angulation (or coxa vera): As the knee shifts inward or knocks, the head of the femur moves outward, leaving the joint less stable. Leg length deficiency (LLD)—or a short leg—occurs when the pelvis drops on that side further destabilizing the lower kinetic chain.

Once ankle pronation is properly corrected with a rear foot post and the hind foot is repositioned back to neutral (if LLD persists) a heel lift can be placed under the foot orthotic to corrective this imbalance. ONLY then will the pelvis become level and stable so it can properly serve as a strong foundation for the spine the rest of the body to rest on!

We haven’t touched the subject of muscle imbalance, strengthening of commonly weak hip extensor muscles, or stretching of overly tight hip flexors and adductor muscles—topics for another day! The good news— as a Chiropractor in Belfast Dr Jonathan Rice DC MChiro can help!