
19 Oct October ’20 Newsletter

Well hello October, and hello sunshine! As Halloween approaches, we have a scary newsletter for you today – hip pain in the elderly! Ok, so it’s not so scary but we do talk about some of the common reasons for hip pain in older people – read our education quarter to find out more! We also chat about our upcoming osteoporosis webinar, and how we help our clients, especially our younger clients, with hypermobility. Enjoy!

Osteoporosis webinar
Wednesday 18 Nov, 6.30-7.30pm
Do you or a loved one have low bone density or osteoporosis? If so, find out all the information you need to know about managing your condition with exercise, and other treatment alternatives, in our osteoporosis webinar. Angus Tadman, a qualified physiotherapist who has completed training with The Bone Clinic, will cover:
- Osteoporosis: what it is and how it effects the body
- What exercise you can do to best manage your osteoporosis
- Information about the ONERO program: scientifically proven exercise management for osteoporosis
- Question and answer session
If you would like more information, or to book your place, please contact
9438 1782 or enquiries@stleonardsphysio.com.au.
Hypermobility and physio
Connective tissue disorders like hypermobility encompass a wide range of conditions. These disorders can be caused by changes in the connective tissues such as bone, ligaments, tendons and skin. They also vary from person to person because many people have a mixture of different symptoms. People with these disorders may have:
- Too much joint movement (hypermobility)
- Not enough joint movement (joint contractures – hypomobility)
- Joint dislocations/instability
- Hip dysplasia
- Excessive laxity (looseness) of skin
- Fragile bones, skin, ligaments
- Reduced muscle strength
- Poor balance
- Postural problems
- Scoliosis
- Fatigue
- Continence issues
- Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Marfan Syndrome
- Loeys-Dietz Syndrome
If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can help you, or your child, please contact us on 94381782 or enquiries@stleonardsphysio.com.au.
The Education Quarter
Hip pain in the elderly
Joint pain in the elderly population is a common complaint, with women being affected more often than men. There are several causes of hip pain amongst the elderly. We’ve put together this quick-fire list to inform you of what can cause hip pain in our senior citizens.
Joint disease
One of the most common causes of hip pain in the elderly is joint disease that leads to degeneration of the joint surfaces and results in a poorly moveable joint. The most common condition affecting the hip is osteoarthritis (OA), affecting approximately 25% of the population. The hip is a weight-bearing joint and through a lifetime has to withstand a great deal of force passing through it on a daily basis. Many factors in a person’s life can lead to the onset and progression of OA in the hip joint. An injury to the hip earlier in life can kick start a process of early degeneration leading to poor movement and the development of pain as a person journeys through the second half of life. Other factors that may lead to the development of hip OA include obesity and or poor exercise regimes (or lack of exercise altogether). Other forms of joint disease that can cause hip pain include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout and pseudogout.
Bursitis
The word ‘bursitis’ means inflammation of a bursa. A bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac found throughout the body around joints and areas of high movement to reduce friction. There are several bursae found around the hip. These are usually located between a bone and tendon (or other tissues) and help to maintain smooth-moving joints. Weakness or long-standing dysfunction of the gluteal and other hip-related muscles (often seen in the elderly) can lead to compression of the bursae which increases the load on them. Over time and repetition of movement, the bursae can become inflamed and cause pain, often felt on the bony, outside part of the hip. Bursitis can be treated with hands-on therapy and exercise prescription aimed at strengthening and improving movement at the joint.
Tendinopathy
Tendons join muscles to bones. As we age, the health of our muscle and tendon tissue declines and the efficiency of movement is affected. Similarly to bursitis, long-standing muscle dysfunction because of a failing hip joint can place excessive load on the tendon which attaches the muscle (e.g. the gluteal muscles) to the thigh-bone. If strengthening of the muscles and tendons is not achieved in the early stages of injury or disease, the fibres that make up the tendon become degenerated and deranged, resulting in a condition known as tendinopathy. This affects the tendon’s ability to withstand high loads passing through it and can lead to pain, regularly felt before and after exercise or movement. Long standing tendinopathy can lead to a tear which is common in older persons and can be the cause of much disability.
Lower back dysfunction
This is a very common cause of hip pain in the elderly population. As we age, our spines and the various tissues that play a pivotal role in its functioning can become degenerated. If a degenerated bone or joint in the spine presses on a nerve coming out of the spine, it can lead to a phenomena known as ‘radicular pain’. This is pain that may be felt in the hip (or other areas of the lower limb) but actually the problem lies in the lower back.
Fracture
Due to the increased rates of conditions including osteoporosis (loss of bone mass) and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), we are more prone to falling as we get older. A fall onto the outside of the hip can easily result in a fracture of the neck of the thighbone, close to where it attaches into the pelvis. As with any bone fracture, pain is a common symptom. A hip fracture may require surgical intervention and can greatly impact the health of an elderly person with increased risks of infection and death posing a real threat.
If you have hip pain and are concerned, please call us today on 9438 1782 to book your appointment immediately. Stay safe everyone!
Happy to help.
If you’d like to book an appointment, or have questions about any pain or injury you may be experiencing, please get in touch.