Lower Back and Hip Pain Treatment

Upper East Side Manhattan, NY Physical Therapy

Hip and back pain can be caused by various problems such as osteoarthritis, tendinitis, referred pain from herniated /prolapsed disc, sacroiliac dysfunction, poor posture and more. I always concentrate on the joints above and below the affected area and align the entire leg/pelvis passively (the patient is not assisting me) partially active (so that the patient assists me, to different degrees, in establishing the desired motion of the area) fully actively (the patient takes part in it). When treating the hip, I will incorporate mobilizations, myofascial release and gentle stretching and strengthening exercises to the hip/pelvis, knee, ankle and foot on both sides. While I am gently feeling and sensing the fascia, muscle fibers and joints I am asking the patient to give me a feedback while I am treating him/her. Carefully listening to what the body experience is, is one of the corner stones of my approach. Like a conversation, I need to communicate with the body with a great deal of sensitivity and respect. Each person's response is unique and I am here to analyze the information being given to me and draw conclusions based on my thorough evaluation.
I evaluated a new patient who was referred to me with a diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy/sciatica (symptoms of pain, tingling, numbness or weakness that travel down the lower back and into the leg). A thorough evaluation, using palpation of the involved hip, thigh, sacral and lumbar regions, revealed that although the main diagnosis was lumbar radiculopathy, the core of the problem was an inverted (internally rotated) hip joint. Often, the x-ray or MRI may find changes at one region (e.g., lower back) but the limitation/pain originates from a different region (e.g., hip). My mission is to listen to each and every patient's complaint. The manner in which people express and reveal limitations and pain varies, and I both listen carefully and examine through hands-on work to identify the source of the problem to optimize the body wellness.