Hip Pain Treatment in Columbus, NE
Feeling pain in your hips can make something as simple as standing or picking something up from the ground debilitating. As such, seeking prompt treatment is crucial to your quality of life.
At Driver Chiropractic in Columbus, NE, our hip pain treatments use findings from thorough exams and assessments to identify the source of your pain and develop a personalized treatment plan from there. Care is provided by Dr. Dylan Driver, a board-certified chiropractor and physiotherapist.
What Causes Hip Pain?
More often than not, hip pain doesn’t directly stem from your hip joints. It’s often a referred sensation from an injury in your lumbar spine (lower back), sacroiliac (SI) joints, or surrounding muscles. Cases that do stem from your hips account for only part of the picture.
Common Sources of Hip Pain
Here are some of the most common sources of hip pain that our chiropractor sees in many of his patients:
- Osteoarthritis: It’s the gradual wearing down of the cartilage cushioning the joints in and around your hips, causing bone surfaces to scrape against each other.
- Trochanteric Bursitis: The fluid-filled sac (bursa) that sits over the bony point of the outside of each of your hips can become inflamed due to repetitive motion.
- Hip Labral Tear: Damage to the cartilage in your hip socket allows the joint to shift or catch when moving.
- SI Joint Dysfunction: It refers to the abnormal movement (either too much or too little) of the joints where your spine connects to your pelvis.
- Piriformis Syndrome: The piriformis muscle, which sits deep in your buttocks, can tighten and spasm from injury, compressing the sciatic nerve beneath it and, in turn, triggering sciatica.
- Lumbar Referred Pain: Injury, misalignments, tension, and nerve irritation in your lower back may refer pain to your hips and buttocks.
- Muscle Strain: Overstretching or partially tearing a muscle in your hip (e.g., flexors, adductors, gluteals) can result from overuse or carrying heavy weights with improper technique.
Knowing where your discomfort originates enables our hip pain doctor to provide treatments that target your symptoms at their source for lasting relief.
Red Flag Symptoms
Manual therapies aren’t always the best treatment for hip pain. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, visiting your primary care physician or the nearest emergency department first can provide access to appropriate care and can help prevent complications.
- Severe pain after a fall
- Hip pain with fever
- Unexplained weight loss
- Persistent discomfort at night
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
In these cases, our modalities are more helpful as supportive therapies, provided that your physician clears you.
When Is Chiropractic Care Appropriate?
Chiropractic care can provide lasting relief from hip pain if you don’t have any red-flag symptoms. This table outlines our recommended course of action for what you may be experiencing.
| Symptoms/Condition | Who to Visit | Rationale |
| Mechanical or muscular hip pain with no red flags | Driver Chiropractic | We provide conservative care guided by thorough, hands-on examinations. |
| Hip pain with radiating leg symptoms and no red flags | Driver Chiropractic | Referred and nerve-related patterns respond well to chiropractic hip adjustments and spinal decompression. |
| Advanced hip osteoarthritis with severe loss of joint space, per imaging results | Orthopedic surgeon | Co-management between your orthopedic surgeon, primary care physician, and Dr. Driver can support the recovery of surrounding tissues. |
| Any red flags listed above | Primary care physician or the ER | This is not a point where chiropractic care can help. |
When Chiropractic Care Alone Isn’t Enough
Some conditions plateau, even with chiropractic care and other therapies that Dr. Driver initially prescribed. If he doesn’t find any measurable improvement after a month or so of treatment, you may undergo further imaging to help adjust your care plan.
What We Do Differently at Driver Chiropractic
Dr. Driver performs thorough exams, including the FABER test, Thomas test, and neurological screening, to confirm your diagnosis and develop a treatment plan tailored to your results. He also prescribes at-home care and exercises to ensure your recovery doesn’t stop when you leave the clinic.
How Driver Chiropractic Treats Hip Pain
Let’s detail what typically happens during our hip pain treatments in Columbus, NE, to help you prepare and stay informed.
Your First Visit to Driver Chiropractic
Dr. Driver will guide you through this process during your first visit to his clinic:
- Intake: We’ll discuss your medical history, symptoms, prior injuries, lifestyle, and work demands to provide us with an initial understanding of what may have caused your condition.
- Assessments: Dr. Driver performs comprehensive assessments of your posture, gait, joints, muscles, and nerve function to pinpoint the exact source of your pain.
- Diagnosis: Based on his findings, Dr. Driver confirms your diagnosis and creates a treatment plan tailored to your body and condition.
- First Therapy: You may undergo your first chiropractic adjustments when appropriate to jump-start your recovery.
Chiropractic Techniques We Use for Hip Pain
Dr. Driver utilizes various chiropractic techniques depending on your condition and comfort level.
- Cox Flexion-Distraction: It utilizes a specialized table to gently stretch and decompress your spine.
- Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization: Dr. Driver uses beveled tools to massage your soft tissues and break up adhesions and trigger points.
- Activator Method: A small, handheld instrument delivers highly targeted adjustments to specific joints without having to move an entire limb.
- Diversified Technique: It involves hands-on adjustments to directly mobilize your hip joint and other structures to address restrictions.
Home Exercises for Hip Pain
Your treatment doesn’t end when you leave the clinic. Dr. Driver may prescribe exercises to improve the strength, flexibility, and mobility of your hips and their surrounding muscles and joints.
Signs That Your Care Plan Is Working
Some telltale signs that Dr. Driver’s treatment program has helped improve your condition include:
- Sleep is more comfortable
- Pain intensity is lower
- Hip mobility is improving
- Daily activities are getting easier
Hip Pain Recovery Timeline: What to Expect at 2 Weeks, 6 Weeks, and Beyond
Your recovery timeline depends on your condition, its source and severity, and how well your body responds to treatment. That said, this table provides a general estimate of what most of Driver Chiropractic’s patients experience.
| Timeframe | What You Should Feel | What We Do If You Don’t Meet This Milestone |
| Week 1 | Hip pain has slightly reduced, with less stiffness and discomfort when sitting. | We reexamine your condition and consider a referral. |
| Weeks 2 to 6 | Mobility returns, along with comfortable nights and work, though a few adjustments are needed to the latter. | If your recovery plateaus at week 4, Dr. Driver may recommend physiotherapy or further imaging. |
| Weeks 6 to 12 | Your hips should be mostly functional. Dr. Driver also tapers your visit frequency. | We reassess other structural issues that could be contributing to your hip pain. |
| Beyond 12 Weeks | Pain should be fully resolved or, at the very least, well managed. | Dr. Driver may refer you to a hip specialist to identify any problems that manual therapies can’t address. |
What If You’re Not Improving?
If your hip pain doesn’t resolve by your personalized timeline, it can indicate advanced osteoarthritis or other chronic conditions that chiropractic adjustments can’t address, at least not alone. As such, Dr. Driver may reassess your care plan or, in severe cases, refer you to a hip specialist.
What We Won’t Do
Driver Chiropractic doesn’t sell long-term contracts, nor do we offer care plans even before we diagnose you. Likewise, every treatment is justified with comprehensive assessments, not guesswork.
Cost, Insurance, and Booking Hip Pain Treatment at Driver Chiropractic
The following are other important factors to consider before you visit our clinic.
Insurance We Accept
Our clinics accept most major insurance providers. We’ll verify your benefits before your first visit to inform you about your out-of-pocket costs in advance and avoid any surprises down the road.
How to Book
You can book your visit by filling out our contact form or calling (402) 270-1062. Driver Chiropractic is located at 2421 23rd St., Columbus, NE 68601, and is open on:
- Monday to Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Friday to Sunday: Closed
Whip Your Hips Back Into Shape
Hip pain has multiple possible sources, and the appropriate care plan for each is different. That’s why, at Driver Chiropractic, our hip pain treatment in Columbus, NE, begins with a comprehensive exam and a personalized care plan. In turn, we can address the underlying cause of your discomfort and prevent it from returning.
Meet Dr. Dylan Driver
Dr. Dylan Driver is the driving force behind our practice.
Dr. Driver treats pregnant moms, newborns, infants, children, and adults of all ages with various conditions. With a wealth of experience and an unwavering dedication to healing, he is your partner in achieving optimal health and vitality.
He is well-experienced in various chiropractic techniques, including soft tissue therapy, activator adjusting, diversified technique, and prone-specific technique, choosing the best method for each patient.
Dr. Driver’s commitment extends beyond the clinic. He has worked in community outreach centers, providing healthcare services to those facing financial challenges. Dr. Driver is dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and greatly enjoys helping others.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Pain Treatment
Pain around your groin that worsens when you carry weight points toward an injury to your hip joints. Meanwhile, pain that runs from your lower back, through your buttocks, and down each leg often stems from your lumbar spine.
Chiropractic care addresses the mechanical sources of hip pain, such as joint restrictions, adhesions, and imbalances, thereby easing pain and alleviating other symptoms. It doesn’t simply mask the pain, the way medication typically does.
You should see a medical doctor first if you have any red-flag symptoms:
- Severe pain after a fall
- Hip pain with fever
- Unexplained weight loss
- Persistent discomfort at night
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
It depends on what’s causing your pain, its severity, your symptoms, and how well your body responds to the treatment. Dr. Driver will provide you with a more accurate recovery timeline after your initial evaluation to help set your expectations.
Most insurance providers in Nebraska cover chiropractic care for hip pain when you have a formal diagnosis. However, it ultimately depends on your policy. Our front desk will discuss your benefits and other considerations with you before your first visit to keep you informed.