With football and netball season in full swing across the Riverina did you know that here at Granger Chiropractic we not only focus on lower back and neck pain issues but a wide variety of sporting injuries as well.
With the repetitive joint loading that these sports generate, one condition we see regularly is called Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI). FAI can have both structural bony causes and also functional soft tissues causes. Your chiropractor is trained to diagnose and them treat accordingly.
FAI often presents as hip and groin pain with restricted range of hip motion. It can either be acute brought on by injury, or some people can be predisposed to this by the structure of their hip joint being slightly irregular.
Pain is primarily felt deep in the groin at the front of the hip, more rarely it can be on the side of the hip or the buttock.
Pain is often provoked with prolonged sitting, walking, crossing the legs as well as during and after sport and exercise.
There will typically be a restriction in hip flexion and internal rotation range of motion.
FAI commonly responds very well to conservative management with a focus on:
Treating and mobilising the hip and pelvic joints to improve joint mobility.
Passive and active stretching and strengthening exercises to increase soft tissue mobility and to strengthen surrounding hip muscles.
Some cases of FAI may need further management and sometimes even surgery but a conservative management approach is seen as a good first step and can even help management and rehabilitation even if surgery is required.
References:
1. Wall PD, Fernandez M, Griffin DR, et al. Nonoperative treatment for femoroacetabular impingement: a systematic review of the literature. Pm R. 2013;5(5):418–426
2. Mansell, N. S., Rhon, D. I., Meyer, J., Slevin, J. M., & Marchant, B. G. (2018). Arthroscopic Surgery or Physical Therapy for Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial With 2-Year Follow-up. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(6), 1306–1314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517751912
3. Griffin, D. R., Dickenson, E. J., Wall, P. D., Achana, F., Donovan, J. L., Griffin, J., … & Petrou, S. (2018). Hip arthroscopy versus best conservative care for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (UK FASHIoN): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 391(10136), 2225-2235.
