Many people experience stiffness in their hips after sitting. This can be due to a number of factors, including injury and age-related degeneration. The severity of this particular symptom can range from a mild inconvenience to crippling dysfunction. If you’re dealing with aches, stiffness and other symptoms in your hips for any period of time, you should work closely with a qualified medical professional to reach a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
Common causes for this type of stiffness in your hips include muscle strains, arthritis and bursitis. In nearly any situation, working with a physical therapist to overcome this and other hip-related symptoms can be highly effective in helping you regain a higher level of comfort and functioning.
Steps to assess hip pain and stiffness
When you first meet with a physical therapist, they will attempt to understand the underlying causes that are leading to the development of hip stiffness. Physical therapists can use a number of techniques to identify issues in your posture and biomechanics that could be at the root of your pain. Typical evaluative steps include:
- Reviewing health and treatment history.
- Discussing specific symptoms, daily activities and triggers for pain, such as sitting.
- Performing posture and movement tests to assess biomechanics.
- Performing a hands-on examination to isolate painful spots and movements.
Using this information, your therapist can develop a personalized treatment plan that involves therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, stretches and movement training to address your hip stiffness. We can also provide helpful education on lifestyle changes, including posture improvement and regular exercise, that can help promote the long-term health of your hips.
Find the care you deserve at SOL PT
When you come to our beautiful clinic in Oakland, you can expect the highest level of expertise and compassionate care from our clinicians. No matter what the cause of your hip stiffness is, we’ll be happy to work with you personally to create an individualized treatment plan. We know that seeking relief can sometimes be intimidating, which is why we’re committed to making your treatment process as relaxing and stress-free as possible.
To learn more, contact us today. We’ll be happy to help you schedule your initial appointment with one of our therapists.
