While hip replacements are common among older adults, I’m seeing more younger individuals in my practice with hip issues that could end in surgery. That’s the bad news. The good news? Hip pain and hip surgery are often preventable—if addressed early. And with more people living sedentary lifestyles, the risk is growing.
In this blog, we’ll look at:
- What hip pain feels like
- How hip pain is connected to back pain
- What hip pain treatment looks like without surgery
- How to prevent hip pain in the first place
Because preventing the problem is always easier than fixing it.
Pain in the Hips
To understand where your pain is coming from, it helps to first understand how the hip joint works.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. The top of your thigh bone (femur) forms the “ball,” which fits into a socket in your pelvis. Simple enough.
But that joint is surrounded by soft tissue—muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. When everything is working well, the ball moves freely inside the socket. But when there’s imbalance in the surrounding soft tissue, the ball starts to jam up in the socket. And that’s when the symptoms begin.
Now add pelvic misalignment into the mix. If the pelvis is off, it alters how the ball sits in the socket. Over time, that poor positioning leads to what we call pathological movement patterns. In other words, your body moves, but not the way it was designed to.
Imagine a grocery cart with one bad wheel. You can still push it, but eventually, the wheel will give out—and the whole cart may need to be replaced.
What Causes Hip Pain?
Aside from specific diseases or trauma, the most common cause of hip degeneration is simple: misalignment of the ball inside the socket.
I’ll be direct here—what we were taught in school about arthritis being a part of aging is just not true. Arthritis is the result of misalignment, not age.
Think of a crooked door. If it hangs wrong on the frame, it wears down the edges where it rubs. A door that’s hung straight? It may get old, but it doesn’t wear the same way.
And here’s the kicker: if arthritis were truly just about age, both hips would wear out equally. But they don’t. Most often, one hip wears out much faster than the other. That’s not age. That’s misalignment.
How a Sedentary Lifestyle Causes Hip Pain
We’re sitting more than ever—and our hips are paying for it.
Sitting for long hours can cause:
- Postural decline
- Muscle imbalance
- Poor stabilization
- Bad ergonomics
Let’s break it down. Sitting shortens your quads and weakens your lower abdominals. That affects your pelvis. Sitting also deactivates the part of your brain responsible for upright posture—making slouching your new default. And slouching compresses your diaphragm, disrupting biological breathing and your core stability system.
When that system fails, something else—like your hips—has to compensate.
Even small things like a poorly adjusted chair can create a domino effect. If your feet don’t touch the floor, your pelvis tilts, your spine arches, and your hip joints take on more strain. These are everyday stressors, and they add up.
Hip Pain Treatment Without Surgery
Every baby, regardless of background or genetics, goes through the same movement patterns. That’s developmental kinesiology—and it’s the blueprint for how we were designed to move.
When something goes wrong with your movement, that blueprint helps us see what’s off—and how to fix it. The most effective method for this? Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS).
If you’re wondering why massages or stretching haven’t fixed your hip pain, here’s why:
- Massage helps with tension but doesn’t address why the tension is there.
- Stretching feels good but works in isolation—and your problem doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s a movement issue.
True movement involves the whole system. That’s why in my practice, we assess the feet, knees, and spine—not just the hip. Watch the video below for a deeper dive.
What Does Hip Pain Treatment Look Like?
First, we get you out of pain so the nervous system can pay attention.
We use:
- Active Release Technique (ART) to correct soft tissue imbalance
- Chiropractic adjustments to stimulate the nervous system and help the joints align
Adjustments are important, but they’re just the spark—not the whole fire. You need the right exercises to hold the alignment and retrain movement. That’s where DNS comes in.
Once pain is down, we move into developmental exercises that re-establish correct movement. These mimic what babies do in their first year of life. It’s not about bands, weights, or gym memberships. It’s about restoring what your body is already wired to do—naturally.
Watch the videos below to see how an 11-month-old’s movement can help rehabilitate your hip.
Will Chiropractic Adjustment Help Hip Pain?
Yes—and no.
Chiropractic adjustment helps, but it’s not enough by itself. You can get aligned, but unless your movement keeps it there, the problem returns.
Think of the adjustment as a teacher entering a room saying, “I have something important to say.” That’s great, but unless the lesson is taught and retained, nothing changes.
Proper care needs to be customized and multifaceted. It requires the right mix of techniques—done in the right order and with the right follow-through.
So…There’s no fast fix for something that took years to develop. Once we help you get out of pain and restore proper movement, maintaining that progress is an ongoing commitment.
It’s not difficult—it just takes time, effort, and investment in your health.
And when it comes to your health, what you truly can’t afford is to lose another day to pain and dysfunction.
You are the Designer and the Director of your own life—so design and direct it the way you want to live it.
— Dr. Shakib