The hips can withstand repetitive motions and fair numbers of wear and tear. The ball and socket joint in the hips are the largest in the body, and it is with good reason – this anatomical space allows fluid movement.
When you try to move your hips (for example by walking, running or dancing), the cartilage in the ball and socket prevents friction and cushions some of the shock that the hips encounter.
Despite how strong your hip muscles and bones are, they are not indestructible. As you age, the cartilage can wear down to the point of damage. When it happens. you can easily fall out of balance and most likely get injured.
Other age-related conditions and physical issues contribute to the pain as well. For younger people, hip pains are usually injury-related or caused by overuse of the muscles.
Here is a rundown on the hip problems that a persona can experience in his or her lifetime.
Hip Flexor Strain
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that work together to lift your thighs upward. These collective of muscles also contribute to lifting your trunk while in a lying down position, especially during sit ups.
A hip flexor strain is associated with tightness or pain at the hips and is usually caused by poor physical fitness, excessive and repetitive hip motions, or tears to the acetabulum – the cartilage lining that cushions the joint.
Osteoarthritis in the Hip
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition resulting from the wear and tear of the muscles and ligaments in the hips. As this disease progresses, the cartilage in the hips become thinner and inflammation occurs.
In some cases, the protective cartilage wears down altogether to the point of inflicting excruciating pain to the person. The symptoms of osteoarthritis will develop slowly over the number of years. One possible natural solution to remedy this pain is to use dietary supplements like the turmeric curcumin by earthwell, which has been shown to produce good results.
Rectus Femoris Tendon Rupture
The rectus femoris is one of the powerful quadriceps muscles in your body. This tendon rupture at the top of the muscle near the hips is a result of explosive movements or overuse.
The rectus femoris is a muscle that crosses two joints and is used to lift up and extend the knees. As the main cause of this problem is excessive use of the muscle, many professional football players and runners suffer from this problem.
Hip Sprain
For those who had a dreaded experience with a so-called hip sprain, they know this type of injury occurs when one of your ligaments surrounding the hip joint gets too stretched or extended. Thank God this type of accident very rarely happens but it can occur to people who experience a powerful pull on the leg (likely caused by accident or trauma), forcing the ligaments to overstretch.
The pain is always evident at the front part of the hips and this is due to the thigh bone being forced backwards. You can differentiate hip strain between hip flexor strain by lifting the thigh forward. If there is absence of pain, then you are experiencing hip strain.
Hip Tendonitis
Hip tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendons in the hips. This condition usually occurs when the hip tendons are in a lot of strain, either caused by abrupt physical activity or biochemical problems.
The first symptom is some tenderness on the specific point of the hips where the tendon originates. The hips may also feel tight, especially in the mornings after you wake up.
Ilium Apophysitis
Ilium Apophysitis is an injury that results to a dull pain at the front of the hips. This usually occurs among children and adolescents who still have underdeveloped and soft apophysis in the hips.
Younger people involved in sports usually suffer from this, especially those who suffer with tight hip muscles. If the muscles keep on pulling on the apophysis this can result in irritation or inflammation on this area.
People who are suffering from hip pain may be experiencing a simple muscle strain that can be relieved by stretching. But it could also be caused by serious injuries that would possibly require surgery. Call your doctor if you are experiencing hip pains that are associated with redness, swelling and warmth around the joints for more than two weeks.