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Shakira may have misled us all with “Hips don’t lie” because a hip problem can disguise itself as knee, leg, or shoulder pain.
An imbalance of the hips may cause neck and back pain. When your hips, lumbar spine (lower back) and pelvis are out of alignment, your head, neck, and shoulders compensate for the problem. This results in a shift from their original positions.
A joint connection
It’s important to look at the whole body when treating joint pain, as all your joints are connected. Your joints allow movement and flexibility, and support all the bones in your body; preventing you from being unstable. The hip is the body’s second largest weight-bearing bone after the knee. It’s a ball and socket type joint where the thigh bone (femur) meets with the three bones that make the pelvis. The thigh bone has a ball-shaped knob on the end that fits into a socket formed in the hipbone.
Causes of pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis can cause stiffness and pain in your joints.
- Joint pain may also be caused by bursitis (an inflammation of the fluid-filled pads (bursae) that act as cushions at the joints).
- At times, pain and tightness on one side of the neck could be related to the hip. This is because of the difference in leg length or the weakness of muscle in the hip, which may eventually cause the pelvis to tilt and compromise your neck in the process. Your hips are the usual suspects because the hip joint is near the spine.
- Injury and bone fractures can also cause hip pain.
Exercises and treatment
Stretching can keep pain at bay when done correctly. You can treat neck and shoulder pain with anti-inflammatory medication. Depending on the source of pain, muscle relaxers may be helpful too. Where your spine and nerve roots are involved, it’s best to check with your doctor.
Neck relief
- Do 10 shoulder rolls backward and down. Follow with neck rolls where you tilt your head slightly to the right and slowly forward to the chest and to the left (making a U shape). Repeat about five times. Avoid rolling your head to the back as this just increases pressure on your spine.
- Bring your ear to your shoulder 10 times on each side.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times.
- Sit up straight and push your head backwards into your car head or chair, rest and hold for 30 seconds.
Un-hunch your shoulders
An ice pack can ease inflammation by slowing down blood flow to the painful area. You can also gently squeeze the shoulder muscles and apply pressure, relieve pain, and encourage blood flow. Do massage therapy daily, until the pain subsides. If your shoulder pain is more severe, your doctor may recommend or prescribe anti-inflammatory medication or painkillers.
