Identify a Cause and Develop a Treatment Plan

Thanks to your detailed symptom description — as well as a health history and comprehensive physical exam — your therapist should be able to determine the underlying cause of your hip pain. 

If you’re 55 or older, there’s a good chance your hip pain stems from osteoarthritis. This degenerative condition causes cartilage and bone tissue to break down, leading to pain and restricted mobility. 

However, hip pain can also stem from an injury. If you’re an athlete or particularly active person, you may have suffered an acute injury, such as a labral tear, in which a ring of cartilage in the hip socket becomes damaged. You may have also sprained your hip — that is, damaged the ligaments that hold the joint together.

However, even if you haven’t had an obvious injury, an injury could still be to blame. Overuse injuries are injuries that develop gradually and, in the hip, generally affect the soft tissue — your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They usually occur due to repetitive movements or improper biomechanics.

Your treatment plan will vary based on the underlying cause of your pain, but in most cases, we aim to…

Understand Your Outcomes

As with treatments, your exact outcomes will vary based on the underlying cause. However, other factors can come into play, too, such as age, health status, and the amount of time you can spend with physical therapy (whether in the clinic or performing home exercise programs).

For example, osteoarthritis has no cure, but you can manage your symptoms with regular physical activity. If you stick with your prescribed exercise program, you can minimize pain, slow the progression of your condition, and delay or even avoid surgery.

If you suffered an injury, you likely will be able to resolve your hip pain, usually within 1-3 months. However, if your injury was severe, full rehabilitation — the point at which you’ve fully restored strength and function — may take longer. Continuing any prescribed exercises is important even if you no longer feel pain.

What’s A HEP

— And Why Is It So Important to Your Success?

HEP stands for “home exercise program.” If you’re undergoing physical therapy with MedRehabGroup, there’s a good chance your therapist will prescribe one to you.

It’s important to note that a HEP isn’t the same as an at-home workout program. With an at-home workout, your goal is general fitness. A HEP consists of curated exercises to help you achieve your rehabilitation goals.

We understand that an exercise routine can sometimes be difficult to work into a busy lifestyle. Therefore, we design our HEPs to be as straightforward as possible, with…

However, we also want to make sure you understand why we prescribe a HEP at all! In fact, a HEP has multiple benefits: