LIFESTYLE NEWS - Exercise is one of the ways to improve your physical wellbeing and it aids in great measure to get rid of ailments, aches and pains.
Follow the exercise programme provided by the biokineticists at Anine van der Westhuizen Biokineticist in George and feel the difference.
This week biokineticist Lana Laubscher continues telling us about hip joint injuries.
Hamstring Injuries
The hamstrings are made up of three distinct muscles that run down the back of the thigh, which then operate together as powerful knee flexors (benders).
As with all muscular injuries, hamstring injuries occur when fibres within the muscles tear.
The severity of the injury is determined by the extent of the damage and how completely the fibres are torn - the least severe form being a strain, while the most severe is a complete tear.
Hamstring injuries are almost always associated with pain in the back of the leg that gets worse when bending the knee.
However, if the injury is higher up in the muscle body, the symptoms can be experienced in the hip itself.
Piriformis Syndrome
The piriformis is a small muscle that runs from the sacrum to the outside of the hip. For such a small muscle, it can cause big problems when inflamed or overused.
Because it runs over the sciatic nerve, the piriformis has a nasty habit of putting pressure on this nerve and causing exquisite pain in the glute (buttock) and posterior hip area when it swells or spasms. Aside from addressing any mechanical issues that might be exacerbating the problem, the main way to treat piriformis syndrome is by stretching the muscle out as much as possible.
To stretch the piriformis: Lie on your back, bend your knees and cross your right leg over your left so your right ankle rests on your left knee in a figure four position.
Bring your left leg toward your chest by bending at the hip. Reach through and grab your left thigh to help pull everything toward your chest (we call this a man stretch).
Iliopsoas Syndrome
The iliopsoas muscle is a powerful hip flexor that runs across the top of the hip joint and works to pull the knee up and off the ground when it contracts.
Movement of the tendon is facilitated by the iliopsoas bursa, a fluid-filled sac that decreases friction between two structures in a joint.
If the tendon or the bursa becomes inflamed, flexion may become very painful and the pain is felt in front of the hip with an associated snapping or clicking sensation during movement.
Since Iliopsoas syndrome often arises as a result of increasing volume or intensity of exercise too quickly, this problem may be easily avoided.
Next week we will continue the discussion of hip injuries.
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