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Comprehensive chiropractic care to diagnose the source of your hip pain and restore pain-free mobility.
The hip is one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body. As a ball-and-socket joint, it provides an exceptional range of motion while simultaneously bearing the full weight of your upper body during standing, walking, running, and climbing. This combination of mobility and load-bearing responsibility makes the hip susceptible to a wide variety of injuries and degenerative conditions that can significantly impact your quality of life.
At Advanced Wellness Chiropractic in Bridgeton, MO, Dr. JC sees patients with hip pain caused by everything from acute sports injuries to chronic degenerative conditions. Regardless of the cause, our approach begins with a thorough diagnostic evaluation to identify exactly where your pain is originating. This is critical because hip pain is frequently misdiagnosed. What many patients assume is a hip joint problem may actually be referred pain from the low back, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or a soft tissue issue in the surrounding muscles and tendons.
Common conditions that cause hip pain include osteoarthritis, trochanteric bursitis, hip flexor strains, piriformis syndrome, labral tears, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and iliotibial band syndrome. Each of these conditions has distinct characteristics and responds best to specific treatment approaches. Dr. JC's comprehensive examination uses orthopedic testing, range-of-motion assessment, gait analysis, and, when necessary, diagnostic imaging to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Hip pain that is ignored or improperly treated tends to worsen over time. Compensating for hip pain by shifting your weight or altering your walking pattern can lead to secondary problems in the knees, lower back, and opposite hip. Early intervention with chiropractic care not only addresses your current pain but also prevents the cascade of compensatory injuries that develop when the hip joint is not functioning properly.
Most hip pain responds well to conservative chiropractic treatment, but certain warning signs mean you should see your primary care doctor or an emergency provider right away rather than waiting for a chiropractic evaluation:
Hip pain can present in many different ways depending on the underlying cause. You may experience symptoms in the hip joint itself or in the surrounding areas including the groin, thigh, and buttock.
These are adapted versions of the same provocation tests Dr. JC uses in the office. None of them replace a proper exam, but if one or more reproduces your symptoms, it is a strong hint about where your hip pain is coming from. Stop any test that causes sharp pain or sudden weakness.
How to do it
Lie flat on your back. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee in a figure-4 position, and gently press the bent knee down toward the floor.
What to watch for
Reproduction of your pain. Pain in the groin typically points to the hip joint itself. Pain in the low back or buttock typically points to the sacroiliac joint.
What a positive test suggests
Hip joint pathology (labral tear, osteoarthritis, impingement) or SI joint dysfunction, depending on where the pain is reproduced.
How to do it
Sit at the edge of a bed or sturdy table. Lie back while pulling one knee firmly to your chest. Let the other leg hang off the edge.
What to watch for
The hanging leg should rest below the level of the bed with the knee bent to roughly 90 degrees. If the thigh rises off the bed or the knee straightens out, the hip flexors are tight.
What a positive test suggests
Tight hip flexors (psoas, rectus femoris). Common in desk workers, drivers, and runners, and a frequent driver of anterior hip and low back pain.
How to do it
Stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your hips. Lift one foot off the floor and hold the single-leg stance for 30 seconds.
What to watch for
Your pelvis should stay level. If the pelvis drops on the unsupported side, the gluteus medius on the stance leg is weak or inhibited.
What a positive test suggests
Gluteus medius weakness on the stance leg. A common driver of lateral hip pain, IT band syndrome, and knee problems in runners.
If any of these tests reproduces your symptoms, the next step is a full evaluation. Dr. JC will examine the hip joint, pelvis, and lumbar spine together to identify every structure contributing to your pain.
Chiropractic care is highly effective for hip pain because it addresses the joint biomechanics and musculoskeletal imbalances that drive most hip conditions. The hip does not function in isolation. It works as part of a kinetic chain that includes the pelvis, sacroiliac joints, lumbar spine, and lower extremities. When any link in this chain is out of alignment, the hip absorbs the extra stress and begins to break down.
Dr. JC uses a combination of chiropractic adjustments to the hip, pelvis, and lumbar spine along with Pin & Stretch Therapy to treat the soft tissue components of your pain. Pin & Stretch is particularly effective for hip conditions because it addresses the tight muscles, tendons, and fascia that restrict joint motion and create painful trigger points. By restoring normal tissue texture and joint mechanics, chiropractic care reduces inflammation and allows the hip to function as designed.
Our patients at Advanced Wellness Chiropractic in Bridgeton, MO often find that chiropractic treatment provides relief that they could not achieve through medication, physical therapy alone, or cortisone injections. By correcting the structural cause of hip pain rather than suppressing symptoms, chiropractic care delivers results that last.
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) has strong Level-I evidence supporting ESWT. A 2020 multicenter RCT by Ramon et al. randomized 103 patients to focused ESWT plus exercise versus sham treatment and found an 86.8% success rate in the ESWT group, with mean pain scores dropping from 6.3 to 2.0 at two months. Furia et al. demonstrated that low-energy ESWT produced significantly better pain scores than controls at 1, 3, and 12 months. A 2023 RCT by Heaver et al. comparing focused ESWT to corticosteroid injection also confirmed ESWT as an effective non-invasive treatment for this condition.
At Advanced Wellness Chiropractic, we use shockwave therapy for patients with chronic lateral hip pain from GTPS and hip tendinopathy. Treatment is combined with targeted exercises and chiropractic adjustments to address the full biomechanical picture and deliver lasting improvement.
Learn more about Shockwave TherapyFollowing a comprehensive examination and accurate diagnosis, Dr. JC will create a treatment plan tailored to the specific cause and severity of your hip pain. Your personalized care plan may include:
Targeted adjustments to the hip joint, sacroiliac joints, and pelvis to restore proper alignment, improve range of motion, and reduce joint inflammation.
Hands-on soft tissue therapy that breaks up adhesions and scar tissue in the hip flexors, glutes, IT band, and piriformis muscles that restrict mobility and cause pain.
A progressive strengthening and flexibility program targeting the hip stabilizers, core muscles, and lower extremity to support long-term joint health.
Analysis and correction of walking and movement patterns that place abnormal stress on the hip joint, preventing re-injury and reducing chronic wear.
These are the exercises Dr. JC sends home with most hip pain patients. They take about five to eight minutes total and work best done once or twice a day. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, pinching in the groin, or numbness. If symptoms worsen for more than a few minutes after finishing, skip that exercise and bring it up at your next visit.
Opens up the front of the hip, which is the single biggest issue for patients who sit most of the day. Tight hip flexors pull the pelvis forward and create both anterior hip and low back pain.
Dosage: Hold 30 seconds, 3 reps per side, once or twice daily.
Targets the gluteus medius, the key stabilizer for the lateral hip. Weakness here shows up as hip drop during walking or running and is a common driver of IT band and outer hip pain.
Dosage: 12 to 15 reps, 2 to 3 sets per side, once daily.
Activates the gluteus maximus and teaches the posterior hip to extend properly. Patients who cannot feel their glutes fire typically overuse the low back and hip flexors instead.
Dosage: 10 to 15 reps, 2 to 3 sets, once daily.
Restores internal and external rotation of the hip, the first motion to disappear with hip arthritis or impingement. Most desk workers are profoundly limited in this range.
Dosage: 8 to 10 slow transitions per side, once daily.
Home exercises matter, but they are one piece of a larger plan. Most hip pain patients also have restrictions at the pelvis, sacroiliac joint, or lumbar spine that these exercises alone will not resolve. If your symptoms are not clearly improving after two to three weeks of consistent home exercise, come in for an evaluation so we can find and release the other sites contributing to your pain.
Certain jobs and life stages drive the majority of hip pain cases we treat at Advanced Wellness Chiropractic. If you recognize yourself in one of these, you are not alone, and conservative chiropractic care is often all you need to get back to full function.
Eight-plus hours a day of sitting locks the hip flexors short and shuts down the glutes. Patients from Centene, Edward Jones, BJC coding, and SSM billing see this pattern constantly.
Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and concrete workers who squat, kneel, and carry loads asymmetrically. Usually shows up as deep groin or lateral hip pain.
Gluteus medius weakness and tight hip flexors are the classic setup. We see a lot of hip pain from marathon training groups and patients rebuilding mileage on the Katy Trail.
Hormonal ligament laxity plus the added load on the pelvis drives SI joint and anterior hip pain. Usually responds quickly to targeted care.
Morning stiffness, loss of internal rotation, and groin pain are the classic picture. Chiropractic care cannot reverse arthritis, but we keep patients moving and often delay or avoid replacement.
Heavy squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifting with loss of hip internal rotation drive anterior impingement and labral irritation. We adjust programming while we treat.
Repeated end-range hip motion can irritate the labrum and anterior joint capsule. Correcting movement patterns is as important as hands-on care.
Even a small discrepancy creates asymmetric load on the hips and SI joints over years. Often a hidden driver of one-sided hip and low back pain.
Sleeping on one side without a pillow between the knees loads the upper hip and SI joint all night. A simple sleep position change plus treatment often resolves the pattern.
If your hip pain is work-related, Dr. JC can help document the injury and coordinate with your employer or workers' compensation carrier. We see patients from Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, Hazelwood, Florissant, St. Ann, Creve Coeur, and across North County St. Louis.
Hip pain can result from a wide range of conditions including osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, muscle strains, labral tears, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, sciatica, and referred pain from the lower back. Prolonged sitting, repetitive motions, overuse injuries from sports, and age-related joint degeneration are all common contributing factors. A thorough examination is necessary to determine the exact source of your hip pain so the most effective treatment can be applied.
Chiropractic care addresses hip pain by restoring proper alignment and mobility to the hip joint, pelvis, sacroiliac joints, and lumbar spine. When these structures are misaligned, they create uneven stress on the hip that leads to inflammation and pain. Dr. JC uses targeted adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and Pin & Stretch Therapy to correct these imbalances, reduce nerve irritation, and improve range of motion. This approach treats the underlying cause rather than masking the pain with medication.
Referred pain from the lower back is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed causes of hip pain. Clues that your hip pain may originate from your back include pain that radiates from the buttock down the leg, numbness or tingling in the hip or thigh, pain that worsens with sitting or bending forward, and relief when walking. A comprehensive chiropractic examination that includes orthopedic and neurological testing can determine whether your hip pain is a local joint issue, a spinal issue, or a combination of both.
Recovery time depends on the underlying cause, severity, and duration of your hip pain. Acute hip issues such as muscle strains or joint restrictions may respond within two to four weeks of care. Chronic conditions like osteoarthritis or longstanding bursitis may require a longer course of treatment spanning several weeks to a few months for significant improvement. Dr. JC will establish clear treatment goals and milestones so you know what to expect throughout your recovery.
Beneficial exercises for hip pain typically include hip flexor stretches, piriformis stretches, clamshells for gluteal strengthening, bridges, and gentle range-of-motion exercises like hip circles. Strengthening the muscles around the hip joint provides better support and stability, which reduces pain and prevents future problems. However, the right exercises depend on the specific cause of your hip pain. Dr. JC will prescribe a customized exercise program that targets your individual needs without aggravating your condition.
“Takes the time to understand your specific issue”
He is professional, knowledgeable, and most importantly, he takes the time to understand and treat your specific issue. Seriously, you'll leave feeling like a million bucks.
Spinal and extremity adjustments to restore proper hip and pelvic alignment for lasting pain relief.
Learn MoreAdvanced soft tissue therapy that breaks up adhesions in the muscles and tendons surrounding the hip joint.
Learn MoreTreatment for low back pain, which frequently occurs alongside or is mistaken for hip joint problems.
Learn MoreAdvanced Wellness Chiropractic
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