Hip and Lower Back Pain

Typically hip and lower back pain are often related and whatever caused that pain can also often cause a sort of domino-injury effect. Sometimes hip pain can be mistaken for pain in the backside and vice versa.

Typically hip and lower back pains are contained in the following areas: the lower back, the hips, the buttocks and the upper legs. This pain usually comes from a central point that can be located anywhere in any of these regions and a sure sign that you have injured something in that area is that the area becomes very sensitive when touched. This pain can be caused by any number of reasons. Sometimes the rotator muscles that are located here tighten up and can’t rotate properly.

Sometimes overly strenuous activity can strain the muscles or cause a slight inflammation. Sometimes that inflammation and swelling will cause pressure on the sciatic nerve (which can lead to pain in any number of places in the body). While there are any number of specific activities that can cause hip and lower back pain the most common cause is a prolonged period of sitting down.

The best way to treat hip and lower back pain is with ice and the ingesting of an over the counter anti-inflammatory drug (like Tylenol, Advil or Aleve). Sometimes massage is also very helpful because it will work out any knots that have formed in the local muscles and encourage those muscles to relax. The more relaxed your muscles are, the less pain you will feel.

Of course there are a number of things you can do to prevent chronic hip pain and lower back pain. You will want to do a lot of stretching. There are specific stretches that you can do to help your hamstrings and the muscles in your hips and lower back. Side leg lifts are a good way to stretch all of those muscles. Also, if you engage in regular physical activity you might want to loosen up your exercise routine a bit. Maybe run with a shorter stride, use a different machine or even just tone things down a level. This is especially true if you are trying to recover from hip and lower back pain.

Other remedies include exercises that are geared more toward the abdominal area of the lower back. Try some bent leg sit-ups, some knee lifts and some easy lifting. Foot pressing and turning are also good exercise to strengthen the muscles in your hips and lower back.

The more you work at keeping your hips and lower back in shape, the less you will have to worry about hip and lower back pain. As with most medical conditions, prevention is the best medicine you can give yourself. Your back and hips are very important and it is in your best interest to keep them in shape and to do everything you can get mend them in the event of injury or pain. Hip and lower back pain are definitely worth preventing.