Understanding Your Hip Pain Pt. 2

Why Groin Pain is a Sign of Joint Issues

Welcome back to our series on hip pain! In Part 1, we covered pain on the side of the hip. This time, we're focusing on groin pain,

which is felt in the crease between your

stomach and upper thigh.

While groin pain can sometimes be

caused by muscle issues (like tight

adductors or hip flexors), it's more often a sign of a deeper problem with the hip

joint itself, such as arthritis, hip impingement, or hip instability. Let's break down these common causes and how we can help at Reform: Fitness & Therapy.

Hip Impingement

Hip impingement, also known as FAI (femoroacetabular impingement), happens when an

abnormal shape to the hip joint causes the bones to pinch soft tissues. This most often affects younger, active individuals and athletes.

Symptoms: You might feel anterior hip pain during activities that involve deep hip flexion, like squatting, sitting in a low chair, or pulling your knee to your chest.

How We Manage It: Our approach focuses on improving joint mobility with manual therapies and self-mobilization techniques. We also build a strengthening program tailored to your needs, targeting the glutes, hip flexors, and core muscles. Strengthening the core is especially important, as it helps prevent the excessive pelvic tilt that can make impingement worse.

Hip Arthritis

Osteoarthritis of the hip is a very common diagnosis, particularly in people over 55. This

condition is caused by the gradual breakdown of cartilage in the hip joint.

Symptoms: You'll likely experience pain and stiffness that are worse in the morning but feel a bit better after 30–60 minutes of movement. The pain often returns with prolonged activity like walking or gardening.

Our Approach: We use manual joint mobilizations to reduce stiffness and combine this with a comprehensive exercise program. By focusing on functional movements like squats, lunges, and step-ups, we can help you maintain mobility, manage your pain, and potentially delay the need for a hip replacement.

Hip Instability & Dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is the opposite of impingement—it occurs when the hip socket doesn't fully cover the femoral head, leading to an unstable joint.

Symptoms: This can cause pain in the groin and the side of the hip. You might also have a

constant sensation of tightness in your hip flexors, even though the muscles aren't truly tight.

This "tightness" is your muscles working overtime to compensate for the joint's lack of stability.

How We Help: The key is to build stronger, more resilient muscles—like the glutes, hip flexors, and adductors—to provide the stability the joint lacks. To enhance your recovery, we pair these strengthening exercises with manual therapies, such as soft tissue mobilization and dry needling. These treatments help reduce pain and relieve that sensation of tightness, making your daily activities and exercises much more manageable.

The Next Step For Your Hip Pain

If you are experiencing persistent groin pain, our Doctor of Physical Therapy and Nationally

Certified Pilates Teacher, Dr. Mary Gregory Stocker, will perform a thorough assessment of your muscle strength, core stability, and movement patterns.

Based on her findings, you'll collaborate on a personalized Pilates-based exercise plan

designed to alleviate your symptoms and build lasting strength. We’ll also give you essential

activity modifications to allow your hip to recover. Our integrated Pilates and Physical Therapy approach is uniquely positioned to address the complexities of hip joint pain, helping you not just alleviate symptoms but build lasting strength and efficient movement.

Ready to find lasting relief? Contact Reform: Fitness & Therapy today to schedule your initial

consultation in Ooltewah, TN, and take the first step toward moving better, feeling better, and living better.