Dealing with hip pain can be a grueling, full-time activity. You walk and it hurts. You sit and it hurts. And then at night when you lie down you can’t sleep because it hurts. And with osteoarthritis, if your condition progresses and the pain becomes chronic and intense enough to impair hip function and physical mobility, you may have to receive corticosteroid injections in your hip, or even worse, face the potential risks, costs, required recovery time, and even greater pain caused by partial or total hip replacement surgery.
Common Causes of Hip Pain
The Johns Hopkins Medicine website states that, “The hip is one of the most stable joints in the body. But because it bears your body weight, it is more likely to develop arthritis because of the extra pressure.”[1] Pain in the hip is a common complaint, especially in the elderly, that can result from not only arthritis, but from many other issues as well: muscle or tendon strains; bursitis; tendinitis; osteoarthritis; and Rheumatoid arthritis. Other causes of pain may be a hip labral tear or a hip fracture caused by a fall. According to WebMD.com, “Despite its durability, the hip joint isn’t indestructible. With age and use, the cartilage can wear down or become damaged. Muscles and tendons in the hip can get overused.”[2] And this can lead to persistent hip pain.
Hip Pain Location
Interestingly, the Mayo Clinic advises that, “The precise location of your hip pain can provide valuable clues about the underlying cause. Problems within the hip joint itself tend to result in pain on the inside of your hip or your groin. Hip pain on the outside of your hip, upper thigh or outer buttock is usually caused by problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround your hip joint.”[3] So being able to pinpoint the exact area of your pain is important.
Hip Pain Can Radiate
However, sometimes hip pain can spread or radiate to other nearby areas. Depending upon the condition that may be causing an issue in your hip, you may experience discomfort elsewhere around the general hip area: in the inside or outside of your hip joint, or perhaps even in your thigh, groin, or buttocks. And it may be the other way around, where pain or issues from another body area can be felt in the hip. As WebMD.com states, “Sometimes pain from other areas of the body, such as the back or groin (from a hernia), can radiate to the hip.”[4] This type of pain is commonly known as “referred pain.”
A Natural Alternative for Pain Relief
But no matter where it originates, hip pain hurts. So is there a better way to achieve quicker and longer-lasting pain relief? Is there a more natural and effective alternative to over-the-counter pain medications and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs? And for chronic pain, is there a way to avoid prescription anti-inflammatory medications and injections? And actually heal the hip? The answer is “yes” to all these questions — with Red Light/Infrared Therapy!
Red Light/Infrared Therapy
Red Light and Infrared Light Therapy is a non-invasive, painless, and dependable healing modality that can help give your body the support it needs to heal your hip, while providing fast and effective pain relief at the same time. Red Light/Infrared Therapy is also known as “Low Level Light Therapy” or “LLLT” for short.
Red Light/Infrared Therapy helps relieve pain, increases circulation, reduces swelling and stiffness, and stimulates and accelerates the body’s own innate healing processes to regenerate nerves and tissues. A 2015 scientific study concluded that “…LLLT is beneficial for pain relief and can accelerate the body’s ability to heal itself.”[5]
Even chronic degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis respond well to Red Light/Infrared Light Therapy. And what is especially beneficial for those suffering from hip pain, since this pain is often caused by muscle and tendon strains, plus the wearing down of cartilage in the hip joint, is that “Low doses of light have demonstrated the ability to heal skin, nerves, tendons, cartilage and bones.”[6]
Best Pads for Hip Pain Relief
Red Light and Infrared Light Therapy Pads can specifically help relieve hip pain, or referred pain in the surrounding areas of the thigh, groin, or buttocks. There are two Light Therapy pads which are perfect for treating hip pain: Energia Medical’s Large 264 Body Pad and their Medium 132 Pad. Here is what each pad offers:
- Energia Medical’s Large 264 Diode Pad:
This large rectangular 8” x 15” pad is extremely easy to wrap around the entire hip or a thigh. Or horizontally cover the entire lower back or a large area of the buttocks. It can also treat the entire groin area. The Large 264 Diode Pad offers 264 LED’s: 120 red (660 nm) and 144 infrared (850 nm), with an output of 10,483 joules during the 20 minute treatment.. This pad can also treat both hands or the foot area, the chest, the whole spine, shoulder, knee, or upper and lower arm.
- Energia Medical’s Medium 132 Diode Pad:
The size and rectangular shape of this 8” x 9” medium pad makes it an excellent choice for treating not only the hip area, but also the surrounding areas of the thigh, groin, and buttocks. If your hip pain stems from your back, this pad can also be easily placed over the lower back. Plus, its convenient size makes it suitable for treating almost every area of the body. The 132 Medium Pad offers 132 LED’s: 44 red (660 nm) and 88 infrared (850 nm), with an output of 5,280 joules during the 20 minute treatment..
The “Whole Body Core” Package Saves Time and Money
Energia Medical offers the opportunity to save time and money by purchasing their Light Therapy pads in convenient packages. Two Large 264 Diode Body Pads mentioned above may be purchased together as the “Whole Body Core” package, whereby both pads operate from a single 3-port controller with automatic shut off. Both pads run at once, allowing simultaneous treatment to two body areas in one session, instead of having to do two separate sessions with one pad alone. Great for simultaneous treatment of both hips, or the groin and lower back, or a hip and buttocks, or a thigh and the entire back, etc. This package is a big time saver.
In Conclusion
Hip pain does not have to limit mobility and reduce the quality of life for you or for your patients. Red Light Therapy can make a big difference in relieving pain, restoring function, and being able to maintain a comfortable, mobile, and active lifestyle. Contact Rob Berman at Energia Medical at 833-429-4040 or via email at info@energiamedical.com to learn more about how Red Light Therapy systems from Energia Medical can help you or your patients. Energia Medical provides the best quality, most durable and most powerful clinical-strength LED-powered Red Light/Infrared Therapy systems available in today’s marketplace.
Citations
[1] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hip-problems. Accessed 28 May 2021.
[2] https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/hip-pain-causes-and-treatment. p 2. Accessed 28 May 2021.
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hip-pain/basics/definition/sym-20050684. Accessed 28 May 2021.
[4] https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/hip-pain-causes-and-treatment. p 4.. Accessed 28 May 2021.
[5] Cotler, Howard B. et al. The Use of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) For Musculoskeletal Pain. MOJ Orthop Rheumatol. 2015 ; 2(5): . doi:10.15406/mojor.2015.02.00068, p. 7.
[6] Ibid., p.4.
