Hip and Pelvic Pain

One of the most interesting parts of the body to treat with Prolotherapy is the hip. The reason is that most people mistakenly call different parts of the body, the hip.

The “hip” could be the back of the pelvis where the iliolumbar ligament attaches to the L4 and L5 vertebrae, The “hip” can also be the greater trochanteric bursa, where there is a lump on the side of the femur (the thigh bone). Or “the hip” may be the thick fascia that attaches the quadraceps muscle on the front of the thigh to the pelvis, The “hip” may actually be the hip joint or the ligaments that hold the hip in place in the pelvis (in the acetabulum).

Sometimes it is a herniated disc that can refer pain to the area of the hip, or a mixture of some, or all of the above, depending on the patient’s condition. So, a very complete examination of all of these areas with my hands must be made to determine the hip pain source. I can’t depend on an X-Ray or MRI to tell me where to do the Prolotherapy treatment.

Actual hip arthritis in the joint is no different in the way a Prolotherapist treats it than any other part of the body. Often, the hip pain is felt in the groin and there is limited range of motion of the femur. I typically use Prolotherapy injections in two areas.

The first- below the pelvis at its intersection with the upper limit of the pubic bone, and then laterally just above the greater trochanter. Patients will tell me that they have a little stiffness, and then feel better or pain free for a day or so in the beginning. Then, the days of “freedom from pain” usually increase till full healing is achieved.

The main goal is to avoid needless hip replacement or resurfacing. The side effects from hip replacement are often disastrous. There can be dislocation, short leg syndrome or infection. Prolotherapy is a great and less invasive alternative in which a patient walks out of my office and goes back to work.

Bone-on-bone

Discussions from our Radio Show:

Caller: I have this bone-on-bone arthritic hip and I was wondering how you would treat that.

Dr. Darrow: What we do with people who have bone-on-bone arthritis in the hips is work on the supporting ligaments of the hip, there are some very large ligaments that support that big joint. Many times by stabilizing those ligaments the pain will go away.

We can do a diagnostic injection around the ligaments to see if that reduces your pain, if it does, then we know the Prolotherapy will help you.