When you hear about hip pain and injuries, you picture seniors, right? Wrong. Trends now show that younger people are experiencing the aches and pains of their older counterparts.
Some factors that may contribute to hip pain in younger folks include spending too many hours seated sedentary at a work desk, or conversely, going at it too hard at the gym and overworking the hip joints and muscles.
With so many intense fitness trends like Cross-Fit and HIIT training, that feature quick, cutting and repetitive movements, your hips may never get the break they need.
In addition, the hips are constantly working to make sure that the upper and lower bodies are coordinated and in sync for just about every motion you perform daily from walking to sitting.
Common injuries and conditions that we see at Texas Orthopedics plaguing the hips include:
-
Torn labrum: torn ring of cartilage that lines each hip joint
-
Stress fracture
To make sure your hips stay healthy, always stretch and warm-up before exercising, and vary your routines frequently. To avoid putting too much pressure on these joints, alternate intense activities such as squats and lunges.
Take a break from running and try swimming every once in a while, to alleviate pressure and provide your hips a more cushioned environment. Or change it up by doing an upper body work out one day, followed by lower body the next, so your hips aren’t doing double duty.
Additionally, like any part of the body that is being worked-out heavily, your hips need rest.
If you experience any hip pains that are sharp or severe, or nagging over a long period of time, please contact us for an appointment with one of our specialists.
Keep up with Texas Orthopedics news by following us on Facebook and Twitter (@TexasOrthopedic).
(Adapted from Men’s Health)
