Hip Problems | Deetsie's Heroic Dailies

Oct 15, 2009 4

Mommy Pains: Hips Don’t Lie

Categories: Post Partum, body care

Tags: Hip pain, hip problems, joint pain, lower back pain

I have 2 kids, the left and the right.
Hold them up high, that breaks my spine.
Put them down gently, they may sigh
Sorry little ones my hips don’t lie!

You can sing along, you know the tune. I created that rhyme in my head since last week. For the past week, my lower back was aching. There is also a vague pain around my upper thigh bone. I know this is a common mommy dilemma especially for moms like me who has to carry babies around the house, pick up little bits from the floor and has a lot of quick, unbalanced body movements to make at any given time of the day.

I did some research to know whether I should do something about this or just wait until the pain goes away, if in fact this was just brought about by my motherhood routines or caused by something else that I should worry about. I found out that the hip joint is the largest joint of the human body. It allows a wide range of motion while still supporting the weight of the body. It does a lot of complicated work for the body and we should not wonder why it cries in pain when “abused”. With all due respect to the hip specialists and doctors, I’d like to avoid using “big words” and will share the information in the simplest way possible.

Common causes of hip problem include the following:

1. We may not realize this but the legs connecting to the pelvis are not exactly the same for most people. One leg may be rotated in or out or one leg may be shorter than the other. Thus, affecting the person’s manner of walking. And since the hip joint joins our legs to the pelvis, it takes all the strain and the stresses caused by this discrepancy. An asymmetric pelvis is also associated with recurrent lower back pains.

2. A snapping hip syndrome may be caused by a tendon band snapping over the greater trochanter or at the top of your thigh bone, or around the pubic area of the hip bone. You might be hearing a snapping sound as you walk around the house. According to medical experts, this is commonly caused by a hip ligament laxity. When the hip ligament is weak, the hip joint moves excessively causing a snapping sound on the gluteal muscles.

3. The most common form of arthritis to affect the hips is osteoarthritis. This is associated with degeneration of the joint cartilage and with changes in the bone underlying the joint. When the cartilage becomes brittle and splits, it loses its ability to cushion the bones, causing inflammation. Current theory suggests that the cartilage loses its elasticity because of cellular changes. This must be why most sufferers of osteoarthritis are those that are, sort of, coming of age.

There is a long list of hip problems and the hips can be affected by a wide range of disorders. I’ve only listed the ones that may be linked to the common experiences associated with motherhood. Now the solution:

1. Move with the right posture. It’s never too late to correct how you sit, stand, walk, pick up the little bits from the floor. Improper movements yesterday, today and tomorrow may add up. When you wake up the following day, you’ll be surprised in the most terrifying way with that very sharp pain stretching brings.

2. Avoid carrying excessive weight, including your own. Excessive weight puts increased stress on the weigh-bearing hip joint. So avoid carrying heavy boxes from shelves to shelves. I also learned to put the baby down and play on the floor instead (feels good to be a child again). Also, let’s start shedding those weight gained during pregnancy.

3. Get the right diet. This is basic. For time and again we are reminded that proper diet and nutrition are key elements in prevention of all types of diseases. Get some green vegetables such as parsley, celery, okra, alugbati and moringa. Spirulina is excellent too.

4. If you feel the pain is just beyond the temporary, get medical assistance. There are treatment options for you. Thanks to the advancement of medical technology, it’s easier and affordable to diagnose the real cause and hopefully, cure it.
Options include:
1. Exercise and self-management programs
2. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory creams
3. Surgery