Chiropractic Care for Hip Pain

Chiropractic care can be quite effective in helping with hip pain, depending on the cause. Restricted hip range of motion is a common issue. Some examples would be the inability to cross your legs, to squat down or rotate the hips properly. Hip pain is often related to how you walk, stand, or sit. Chiropractors can analyze your movement patterns and recommend custom stretches, exercises, or orthotics to correct these habits.

After a functional assessment, your doctor can assess where the restriction is coming from:

• Is it muscular, joint-related, or neurological?
• Is it truly a hip problem, or referred from the sacroiliac joint, lumbar spine, or even the knees
• Hip stiffness from muscle tightness or poor movement patterns
• Postural issues from sedentary lifestyle
• Early stages of osteoarthritis
• Hip ROM loss due to pelvic rotation and/or sacroiliac dysfunction

Chiropractic care can help in several targeted ways.

Realignment of the Spine, Pelvis and Hip mobilization

If your spine or pelvis is misaligned, it can create uneven pressure on your hips. A chiropractor can perform adjustments to improve alignment, which can:

• Reduce stress on the hip joint
• Improve posture and balance
• Relieve referred pain (pain felt in the hip that originates elsewhere)
• Restricted hip range of motion is a common issue. Some examples would be the inability to cross your legs, to squat down or rotate the hips properly.

Addressing Muscle Imbalances

Chiropractors often use stretching, specific massage, and corrective exercises to target muscle imbalances or tightness that can pull on the hip improperly—like tight Hip flexors (like the psoas), Piriformis, Glutes and Adductors/inner thigh muscles

Joint Mobilization and Soft Tissue Therapy

Sometimes, the hip is restricted not because of the hip itself, but due to misalignment in the pelvis or lower spine. If your hip joint isn’t moving freely, chiropractors can use gentle mobilization techniques to:

• Improve joint capsule flexibility
• Free up restrictions in the hip socket (ball-and-socket joint)
• Enhance overall ROM without forceful adjustments

This is especially helpful for arthritic stiffness, or post-injury tightness.

Treatment may also include techniques such as:

• Cold Laser Therapy- inflammation reduction
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue work like myofascial release, graston therapy, or active release techniques (ART) to target these muscles.
• These therapies help release tension and improve mobility in the surrounding muscles and tissues.

Gait and Movement Analysis

Hip pain is often related to how you walk, stand, or sit. Chiropractors can analyze your movement patterns and recommend custom stretches, exercises, or orthotics to correct these habits.

Relief from Referred Pain (e.g., Knee Pain, Sciatica or Low Back Issues)

Sometimes what feels like hip pain is actually referred pain from the lower back or sacroiliac joint. Also knee pain can be referred pain from the hip. Chiropractors are trained to identify and treat these related issues.

Other common Conditions That Can Be Helped

• Hip bursitis
• Osteoarthritis of the hip
• Piriformis syndrome
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Sciatica