When your hip is in pain, every movement can make you wince. There are many common possible reasons behind hip pain, such as arthritis or bursitis. It’s also possible to sustain an injury to the area, like a hip labral tear, that requires physical therapy treatment to reduce the pain and restore the joint’s mobility.
A hip labral tear refers to an injury that impacts the ring of cartilage, known as the labrum, which holds the hip ball and socket together. Up to 55% of people who experience groin pain are diagnosed with a hip labral tear. It can be caused by an acute injury, such as a sports injury. It can also be the result of repetitive motions, resulting in gradual wear and tear over time. This injury can result in pain, stiffness and a locking sensation in the hip. The good news is that physical therapy for a hip labral tear can help reduce these symptoms and move you along the recovery process.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about the types of physical therapy treatments that can be effective for treating hip labral tears and how Forever Fit uses these treatments to help you return to your everyday routines.
4 physical therapy treatments that can help hip labral tears
While there are a variety of techniques that can help you heal your hip labral tear, the best results come from treatments that are performed by an expert, such as a physical therapist.
When it comes to helping reduce the symptoms of an injury like a hip labral tear, it’s important that the treatments are both safe and effective to reduce the risk of worsening the damage. That’s why turning to a physical therapist for treatment should be one of the first courses of action. They can design a personalized treatment plan made specifically to help reduce your symptoms and improve the overall quality of the area.
Here are four types of physical therapy treatments for hip labral tears that may be included in your treatment plan:
- Therapeutic exercises — One of the most essential parts of hip labral tear treatment is targeted exercises. Your physical therapist will guide you through strengthening exercises to help reduce your hip pain and improve the muscle support surrounding the hip joint. Common hip strengthening exercises used in physical therapy include horizontal squat stretches and standing hip abductions. Your therapist will also show you stretches to help restore the hip’s range of motion, such as single-leg bridges.
- Manual therapy — Most physical therapists will utilize manual therapy for pain management in any area of the body, including the hip. It involves the therapist using their hands to manually manipulate the affected tissue to release tension and increase mobility. For hip labral tears, your physical therapist is likely to use soft tissue mobilization. This allows them to decrease irritability of overworked muscles. They may also use joint mobilization to loosen up restrictive tissue around the joint for improved mobility.
- Graston Technique® — The Graston Technique can be used to reduce stiffness and muscle tension caused by musculoskeletal injuries like a hip labral tear. It’s a patented type of manual therapy that involves using specialized stainless steel tools to break up scar tissue as well as loosen tight muscles. It can help improve your hip joint mobility and reduce pain.
- Dry needling — Trigger point dry needling, also known as intramuscular stimulation, is a physical therapy technique that involves using thin needles to stimulate muscle contractions and release painful tension. It’s often used to target trigger points throughout the body, including ones that refer pain to the hip. The trigger point that’s likely contributing to your hip pain is located above the pelvic bone.
Forever Fit can provide you with effective physical therapy for a hip labral tear
When you’re experiencing issues in your hip, it can be tempting to try to ignore it and hope that it will get better with time. However, it’s important to address the pain and restore your mobility as soon as possible so that you can continue with your day-to-day activities. With the right physical therapy treatments, you can accelerate the recovery process while reducing the risk of worsening your symptoms.
At Forever Fit, our personalized treatment plans make sure that your sessions are tailored to the severity of your injury, your physical capabilities and your medical history. With treatment options like dry needling and soft tissue mobilization, we’ll guide you along the recovery process for your hip labral tear.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.