One of the common conditions we see at Highlands Wellness and Sports Injury Clinic is sore hips from sitting. Kanata is a tech hub and we have tons of workers who are stuck behind desks for most of their week, and this sometimes takes a toll on our bodies.

Just this week I had a patient who has been struggling with sciatica, achy hips, and can’t sit for more than a couple of minutes. They feel much better standing and walking, but they weren’t sure what to do next.

We used our Highlands Wellness approach to care to come up with a plan (learn more about that here).

Assessment

To get started we discussed the patient’s symptoms, what they’ve tried so far, and how this pain is impacting their life. Based on this we performed a physical exam to identify target areas for chiropractic treatment.

First we checked range of motion in the low back, hips, and knees. Typically we’ll find restricted and painful movements that correspond to the patient’s pain.

Next we performed specific orthopaedic tests to rule out joint injury or damage. Lastly we palpated the sore areas to find the muscles and structures that we could target with treatment.

Education

My patient works at a desk and they find that sitting is irritating. Instead of just telling them “stop sitting”, which is basically an impossible proposition, we came up with some strategies they can use to reduce sitting time and move more throughout the day.

Their employer is trying to accommodate them with an adjustable workstation, and we decided they could try standing for some parts of the day and use a foot stool to provide variety in positioning while standing.

We also discussed how movement should be helpful with their condition, but that it’s easy to overdo it at the beginning. We created guidelines for how to add more movement into their routine in a way they felt confident and comfortable.

My patient expressed an interest in orthotics and we decided that it would be worthwhile to try a pair of orthotics and see if it gives them relief. Based on the research available, many patients find them helpful for hip, knee, and low back pain, plus the patient had insurance coverage so it was a minimal risk to try them out.

Mobilize

My patient was already in a lot of pain, so we opted for a gentle approach to mobilizing. We used trigger point therapy and some movement based soft-tissue techniques to reduce tension in the hips, low back and legs.

Next we performed chiropractic manipulation of the low back joints, and the stiff ankle joints we found. This all took about 15 minutes and the patient received a lot of relief with the hands-on care. They were instructed to follow up in a week or two and we’ll continue to mobilize for the next 4-6 sessions and then we’ll reassess and determine what to do next.

Strengthen

Everybody wants to feel better when something hurts. The best way to achieve this is to find ways to improve our injury at home. My patient was already walking daily, so we decided to use this as our kicking off point. We would slowly increase the time and speed of the walks as they continued to improve. As well, we would use two different drills to strengthen and build mobility in the hip and lowback.

With this approach, my patient should see marked improvements in pain within a few days and we’re anticipating a return to most activities within 4-6 weeks. We’ll continue to follow up and make changes as necessary, but they are already well on their way to a successful recovery.

We’re here to help

Highlands Wellness & Sports Injury Clinic is a Kanata-based clinic designed to help with all sorts of common muscle, joint, nerve and bone issues. We have expertise in treating athletes of all ages and provide wellness support to members of the Kanata community. If you are struggling with pain or simply interested in bringing your health to the next level, please contact us. We offer a complimentary 15-minute consultation to help you determine if we’ll be a good fit for you.