Hip, Knee and Foot

Hip Problems

Do you suffer from any of the following?

• Groin, buttock or inner thigh pain, especially when standing?
• Painful clicking in the groin?
• Pain when going up stairs, vacuuming, walking or getting in and out of the car?
• Tenderness over the hips on either side of your bottom?
• Tightness behind your hip joints when stretching in the gym?
• Pain in any of the areas above during or since pregnancy?
• The inability to lie on one side because of a deep pain around the hip against the bed?
• Think you might need a hip operation?
• One hip stiffer than the other?

Then you need to come and see us and be properly assessed.

These are all common signs of hip problems developing and we are experts in diagnosing and assisting in the treatment and rehabilitation required to get your life back on track.

Come in and find out what we can do for you.

Knee Problems

Our advice to you and your bad knee

As mentioned the knee relies on the muscles and joints above and below in order to function properly. Therefore we treat the hip, lower back and ankle by massaging the deep muscles to improve the health of the knee as well as working on the flexibility and strength of surrounding ligaments, muscles and the knee joint itself.

Bend your knee fully and straighten it fully even if this is painful. We tend to lose the end of range movements as we get older and due to injury. Bending and straightening will help to prevent this, and it’s easy to do!

How does the knee get onto trouble?

Knee pain is probably one of the most common things we see and treat after back pain.

The knee is a rather boney structure with very little muscle around it to cushion it. It relies heavily on muscles and joints above and below it to keep it healthy. Increasingly, we live longer and do more varied sports such as skiing and running so the knee is put under considerable stress and may, over time, be prone to effects of wear and tear.

Remember that knee pain in children is important and should never be ignored, as there can be serious causes that need to be ruled out. We will be able to advise on this as all osteopaths in the clinic are trained in paediatrics.

Once the knee starts to give you symptoms then this can mean that the hips and pelvis have given up trying to cope with the demands of the sport or the stress of daily life such as walking and sitting.

Treatment is required to balance the tensions in all the soft tissues around the knee, to normalize joint movements and we always look to other parts of the body that may be causing the problem such as low back, hip or foot.

Self-care is very important with knee conditions so we give you lots of helpful advice and can prescribe exercises for you to do at home to build up your strength and help continue your rehabilitation.

Am I too old to gain any benefit from treatment…. Absolutely not!!

Knee pain can have a negative effect on both confidence and mobility, which is where we can help.  Over the longer term, abnormal mechanics lead to earlier degenerative changes, which is another reason for getting things sorted sooner rather than later.  And if you’re in the older age group and have been told you have arthritis, don’t take that to mean that you just have to learn to live with it. Treatment can often make a big difference to the associated symptoms of stiffness & pain.

How does osteopathy help with arthritis?

Arthritis causes painful inflammation and stiffness of joints as the joints become worn. In the hips and knees, arthritis can cause hip and knee pain, limping, stiffness, as well as muscular aches, spasms and cramps.

It is commonly thought that if you have arthritis nothing can be done, however, this is rarely the case. Firstly, we must determine how much ‘wear and tear’ there is. Osteopathic treatment is best suited to mild and moderate levels of osteoarthritis. Severe arthritis may benefit more from replacement surgery.

It cannot be cured but the joints can be made more mobile and therefore less painful. Osteopathic treatment is highly beneficial in a lot of cases. We can increase your mobility and decrease your pain.