Hip pain can come from the joint, from the muscles and tendons around it, or from the lower back. Where you feel it is the first clue to the cause. Thrive Spine and Sports Rehab treats hip pain in Belmar and Freehold, NJ with physical therapy, chiropractic care and acupuncture, all in the same clinic. You can book without a referral. Call (732) 359-7440 or request an appointment below, and the front desk will verify your benefits before you come in.
Where it hurts and what that usually means
Most hip pain fits one of four patterns. The exam confirms which one you have, but the location narrows it down.
- Deep in the groin. This is usually the joint itself: arthritis, hip impingement (the ball and socket pinching at the end of a movement), or a tear in the labrum, the ring of cartilage around the socket. It tends to hurt when you put on socks, get out of a car or sit in a low chair.
- On the outside of the hip. Pain over the bony point on the side, worse when you lie on it or climb stairs, usually comes from the gluteal tendons or the bursa that sits over them. You may hear it called hip bursitis or greater trochanteric pain syndrome.
- In the buttock. This often starts somewhere else: the sacroiliac joint, the piriformis muscle or the lower back. If it travels down the leg, see our page on sciatica treatment.
- At the front of the hip or the top of the thigh. A strained hip flexor hurts when you lift the knee or lengthen your stride. It is common in runners and in people who sit most of the day.
These overlap. A sore hip changes the way you walk, and that can make the back or the knee hurt too, so we check the joints above and below it.
When hip pain needs urgent care
Go to an emergency room if any of these apply:
- You cannot put weight on the leg after a fall or a hard impact
- The leg looks shorter than the other or is turned outward
- The hip is hot, swollen or red, and you have a fever
- Severe pain came on suddenly and you cannot move the hip
These can mean a fracture or an infected joint. Both need treatment the same day.
How we treat hip pain
The plan depends on what the exam finds. For most hip problems it is built on physical therapy, with the other treatments added when they will help.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy strengthens the muscles around the hip. The glutes above all control how much load the joint takes with every step, and when they are weak, the joint and its tendons take more. Your therapist measures your strength and range of motion, watches you walk, squat and climb a step, and builds a program from what turns up. Early sessions settle the pain and get the hip moving. Later ones add load until it can handle what you need it for: stairs, a day on your feet, running, lifting.
Chiropractic care
Chiropractic care treats the joints that share the work with the hip: the lower back, the pelvis and the sacroiliac joints. When those are stiff, the hip makes up the difference. Adjustments and mobilization restore motion there and in the hip, and soft-tissue techniques loosen the muscles that have tightened around it.
Acupuncture and dry needling
Acupuncture eases pain and relaxes the muscles guarding a sore hip, which makes the exercises easier to do. Dry needling goes straight into a trigger point, most often in the glutes or the hip flexors, to make the muscle release. At Thrive both are done by licensed acupuncturists. Our post on what dry needling is explains how the two differ.
Soft-tissue and myofascial release
Tight hip flexors and tight tissue along the outside of the thigh are common in people who run or sit for long stretches. Hands-on release lets the hip move through its full range again, so the strength work has something to build on. Our guide to myofascial release therapy covers the techniques.
Rehab after hip surgery
After a hip replacement, an arthroscopy or a labral repair, we work inside your surgeon's protocol to bring back range of motion, strength and a normal walk. See post-surgical rehab for how that goes.
What to expect at your first visit
The visit starts with questions: where it hurts, what sets it off and what you have had to stop doing. Then we measure how far the hip moves, test the strength around it and check your lower back and pelvis, since both can send pain to the hip. You walk, and you show us the movement that bothers you. If the exam points to an X-ray, an MRI or an orthopedic opinion, we say so then. If not, treatment begins that day and you go home with a short exercise program. Plan on about an hour.
Hip pain treatment in Belmar
The Belmar clinic is at 616 Fifth Avenue suite 105, Belmar, NJ 07719. Tom Corbisiero, DPT, and Shannon Moloughney, PT, DPT, provide physical therapy in Belmar. Tom is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, which helps in the later stage of hip rehab, when the work shifts from easing pain to building strength. Dr. Steve Bruno and Dr. Vinny Zappola provide chiropractic care, and Clint Price, L.Ac., and AJ Adamczyk, L.Ac., provide acupuncture. Belmar patients have left 410 Google reviews, with an average of 5.0. Hours and directions are on the Belmar location page.
Hip pain treatment in Freehold
The Freehold clinic is at 20 Thoreau Drive in Poets Square, Freehold, NJ 07728. Rachelle Ross, DPT, provides physical therapy in Freehold. She played Division I soccer at Monmouth University and came to the profession through her own injuries and surgeries. Dr. Vinny Zappola leads chiropractic care, and many of his patients are runners, wrestlers and lifters. AJ Adamczyk, L.Ac., and Cheyenne Seonia, L.Ac., provide acupuncture. The clinic holds a 5.0 rating across 135 Google reviews. See the Freehold location page for hours and a map.
Frequently asked questions
Who should I see for hip pain?
A physical therapist or a chiropractor is a good first stop. Either one can examine the hip, tell you whether the joint, the tendons or your back is the likely source, and send you for imaging or to an orthopedist if the exam calls for it. Go to an emergency room first if you fell and cannot put weight on the leg.
Is walking good for hip pain?
Usually, in amounts the hip can handle. Walking keeps the joint moving and the muscles around it working. Stay on flat ground and pick a distance that does not leave you sorer the next day, then build up from there. If walking makes you limp, or the pain is sharp instead of achy, cut the distance and have the hip examined.
How do I know if the pain is coming from my hip or my back?
Pain from the hip joint is usually felt in the groin and gets worse when the leg rotates, such as getting out of a car or putting on a shoe. Pain that starts in the back tends to sit in the buttock, may travel below the knee, and changes when you bend or sit. The two often show up together, so the exam tests both. If yours turns out to be the back, see our page on lower back pain treatment.
Can physical therapy help me avoid a hip replacement?
Sometimes. Exercise is the first treatment recommended for hip arthritis, and it can cut pain and keep you active, in some cases for years. It does not regrow cartilage. When arthritis is advanced and the pain does not improve with therapy, a replacement can be the better choice, and we handle the rehab afterward.
Can I get dry needling for hip pain in New Jersey?
Yes. In New Jersey, licensed acupuncturists perform dry needling, and physical therapists may do it after extra training. At Thrive it is done by licensed acupuncturists. It helps most when a tight muscle is the main source of the pain. For a problem in the joint, it makes the exercise easier but does not replace it.
Do I need a referral, and does insurance cover it?
You do not need a referral to book. In New Jersey you can see a chiropractor or an acupuncturist directly, and a physical therapist for up to 30 days without one. Thrive accepts most major plans, including Medicare, United Healthcare, Anthem and Cigna, and works with many others as an out-of-network provider. Some plans want a referral on file before they pay. Call (732) 359-7440 and the front desk will check that along with your benefits. The full list is on our insurance page.
