When is it time to see a Doctor? Hip pain is something that can be serious and deciding when it is time to see a doctor especially if you know you have arthritis in your hip can be difficult.
While not every pain and ache means that you should seek medical attention, there are some symptoms where you should seek immediate care.
In these instances, you should have someone drive you to urgent or emergency care, especially if the symptoms are due to an injury.
If none of the above symptoms describe you, there’s some simple self-care tips that can help to decide whether you should see your doctor sooner or later.
The most important thing you can do is to rest. Sometimes, your body just needs a break from the daily activity. While it doesn’t mean that you have to lay down, you should avoid repeated movements like bending at the hip or putting direct pressure on your hip like sleeping or prolonged sitting.
While resting your hip, you should also try ice packs or heat applied to the area that hurts. Make sure to do gentle movements and stretches occasionally, but the heat or cold therapy often allows the muscles to relax and reduces inflammation you may have.
One stretch that you can try is called the figure-four stretch. During the exercise, you should hold onto something so that you can keep your balance. It begins by standing on one leg. With your other leg, bend the knee and place the ankle on the standing leg. Your legs should make the shape of the number four. Finally, bend your standing knee as if you were sitting down in a chair. You should feel a deep stretch in the hip muscles on the standing leg side. You should do this on both sides.
There’s many other stretches that can be used to stretch the muscles in your hips. Your doctor should be able to provide some that he or she suggests specifically for your situation.
The final try is to take some over-the-counter pain relievers. Make sure to pay attention as many people can only take a certain type based upon their medical history, but Tylenol typically offers relief in many forms that may help relieve the pain enough so that your body has the opportunity to heal.
If the above treatments don’t work, you should seek some medical advice from your doctors.
Hip pain isn’t always serious, but when you have symptoms, it can be painful. These tips should help you to decide when to see your doctor and when over-the-counter and self-care remedies are enough.
This article is brought to you by Dr. Brandon Downs, of Orthopaedic Specialists, specializing in knee, hip and shoulder pain. Find Dr.Downs in Nashville, Dickson and Ashland City and online at Orthopaedicspecialists.com.
Locations:
1912 Charlotte Ave, Nashville 37203, (615) 590-8000
415 Henslee Drive, Dickson 37055, (615) 375-8287
313 North Main Street, Ashland City 37015, (615) 590-8000
