Natural Remedies for Hip Bursitis

Are you experience hip pain? Are you unsure what could be causing this hip pain? Well it could be hip bursitis. If you have ever experienced bursitis in the hip before then you know how inflamed, swollen and painful things can get and how it can start to affect your everyday life and sleep.

Today, we are going to talk about what hip bursitis is, what causes it and the most naturally effective ways you can stop bursitis pain, without having to resort to pain medications and steroid injections.

What is bursitis?

Bursitis is a painful condition that refers to the inflammation of a bursa. Bursa a small fluid filled sacs that help protect joints from friction and provide lubrication to the joint. Common places to experience bursitis throughout the body include the shoulder, elbow and hip.

The hip has multiple bursa, however a large percent of all bursitis cases in the hip involves the greater trochanteric bursa. Greater trochanteric bursitis is a common type of chronic hip pain and symptoms include pain on the lateral aspect of your hip, which increases with activities such as standing, walking and running. The pain experienced can vary from a dull ache to a sharp burning pain.

Diagnosing greater trochanteric bursitis can be done through ultrasound but if the hip is swollen, red and tender to touch, chances are high that you have bursitis.

What causes hip bursitis?

Hip bursitis is usually caused by an increase in activity, as the repetitive motion/position puts pressure on the bursa, putting athletes at higher risk to develop this condition. Other causes include incorrect posture at home or at work, over activity, bone spurs, injury to the hip and leg length discrepancies.

6 natural remedies for hip bursitis relief

1. Stretching exercises

A common misconception is that you can’t exercises or stretch when you have hip bursitis. Whilst rest is important, it is still very important to maintain strength and flexibility in the hip joint and muscles to help reduce the friction causes the inflammation and pain. Try these common exercises and stretches.

• Hip rotator stretch
• Iliotibial band stretch
• Side lying straight leg raise
• Clamshell
• Bridges

If you aren’t quite sure how to do the above exercises and stretches or you don’t know how many/how long to do them for, talk to your chiropractor who can lead you in the right direction.

1. Change your sleeping position!

If you are experiencing hip bursitis pain, you would have noticed that you can’t sleep on the affected side due to pain and discomfort. And, if you are a side sleeper it can be hard to change old habits, so instead try placing a small pillow between your legs to reduce pelvic rotation and therefore pressure through the hip joint. If you are a back sleeper, try placing a small pillow or rolled up towel underneath your knees to reduce the pressure through your hips.

1. Ice therapy

Usually during the initial presentation of hip bursitis, redness and swelling will occur. This is a sign that there is inflammation and by icing the joint, you can help reduce these symptoms. Ice the joint for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off multiple times throughout the day and do this for the first two to three days, making sure to always wrap your ice pack in a cloth and not to place the ice directly on the skin.

1. Heat therapy

After the inflammation has gone down, switch to heating the area which will help facilitate recovery. You can use a heat pack, hot towel or hot water bottle for 20-30 minutes at a time. Making sure to always check the skin for colour changes and/or blistering every 5 minutes. Heating up the area before exercising/stretching can be effective in preventing re-injuring the area.

1. Natural anti-inflammatory supplements

A lot of people are opting for a natural form of anti-inflammatories these days as they don’t have the side effects/long term use effects of over the counter medications such as Ibuprofen. Some great anti-inflammatory supplements are:

• Curcumin – regulates inflammatory signalling pathways and inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators.
• Magnesium – decreases the levels of chronic inflammatory markers in the body.
• Zinc – involved in the modulation of the proinflammatory response, targeting Nuclear Factor Kappa B.
• Omega-3 fatty acids – inhibit enzymes called cyclooxygenase, which produce prostaglandin hormones that spark inflammation.

Always speak to a health professional before taking any supplement, especially when on medications for a specific health condition.

1. Chiropractic care

Chiropractors are specialists in musculoskeletal care, therefore receiving chiropractic care for hip bursitis is very effective and can offer you a number of benefits that can help speed up the recovery process. Non-invasive chiropractic techniques can help:

• Reduce inflammation – chiropractic treatment aims to address misalignments of the spine. When the spine is misaligned, there is increased pressure on the nerves which disrupts normal bodily functions and produces an increase in neuropeptides. These neuropeptides induce inflammation, so when the spine is realigned, neuropeptide production is reduced and pain and inflammation reduces.
• Improve flexibility – to maintain joint health and prevent bursitis, a healthy range of motion through the desired joint must be maintained. By having regular chiropractic treatment your limbs and joints will be able to move more freely and with less pain. This means you can perform certain movements pain and restricted free and decrease the likelihood of conditions such as hip bursitis.

If your chiropractor doesn’t feel as if your condition is progressing the way that they would like, they will refer you to another qualified health professional to get the help you want and need.

Following through with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan can offer you’re an enormous amount of pain relief. If you aren’t sure where to start or what the pain you are experiencing might be, contact your local chiropractic clinic. If you are looking for a chiropractic clinic in Karrinyup Perth, contact Karrinyup Wellness Centre and we would be happy to help.

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