Sometimes dysfunction and pain are the outcomes of a problem that doesn’t seem to relate to the triggered symptoms in your body. But it’s rare to notice that one body part’s injury is causing another body part to suffer.

Let’s suppose you have a sprained ankle. To keep the weight off the injured leg, most of us would walk with the help of our other leg. This gives your injury a chance to recover. Sometimes it’s easy to realize potential damage and seek adequate treatment, but other times it can go unnoticed that your body is adapting to the injury without healing properly.

As a result, it causes your body to acquire other problems without you even knowing it. Similarly, hip pain or injury can cause a set of problems that can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, such as pain in the tailbone, saddle, or perineum area, pain during sex, or incontinence.

Often, people consider getting their treatment separately for conditions related to pelvic floor dysfunction and hip problems. However, both ailments are interrelated with each other. Let’s learn more about this condition and how pelvic physical therapy could help in mitigating this problem.

What Is A Hip Labral Tear?

The hip joint includes the femoral head (known as the ball) and the acetabulum (called the socket) that promotes easy movement of the body and helps bear the body’s weight. The upper part of the thigh bone (femur) connects with the acetabulum via the labrum in the pelvic bone to form the hip joint. The labrum (suction cup) is a group of connective tissue lines and cartilage that connect the socket with the upper thigh to ensure smooth and stable movements.

This connective layer of the acetabular labrum works as a shock absorber when we dance, jump, run, and walk. It can be torn down as a result of a number of activities, including pregnancy, athletic training, and other issues that can compensate for a hip injury. Some of the symptoms of a hip labral tear include pain in the buttocks, groin, or hips, limited range of motion, or popping between joints.

In severe cases, your joints may lock-in, making it hard for you to move. With these underlying symptoms, it’s no wonder that many of us will continue to adjust the way we sit, walk, run, or lay down to relieve the symptoms and pain in the hip. When we follow this habit, rather than treating the root cause of the injury, we adversely cause strain on the pelvic floor muscles.

The pelvic muscles are responsible for supporting the sexual organs, the bladder, and the bowel. If these muscles are strained, it can lead to other problems, such as pain during sex and incontinence. So, it’s better to get professional help and seek treatment.

Pelvic physical therapy is an alternative treatment that helps treat pelvic floor dysfunction and other associated symptoms. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles helps with supporting the hip joint and adds more stability to your body.

Pelvic Floor And Hip Pain: What’s The Connection?

People often think that being treated for hip pain has nothing to do with the problems associated with their pelvic floor. But they don’t realize that they are interlinked.

The hip joint is attached to the pelvic bone, which is located underneath the group of pelvic muscles. Since these two ailments are connected, the pelvis also supports and stabilizes hip movement, allowing you to walk properly.

However, if you have a hip labral tear, then it’s no wonder that every muscle surrounding that hip has to work harder to keep the ball attached to the socket. And if those muscles are exhausted, including the pelvic floor muscles, then after some time, these will create pressure and trigger pelvic floor dysfunction and other potential symptoms of this underlying condition.

So, if you experience hip pain accompanied by pelvic floor dysfunction, then it’s time for you to seek professional help. Pelvic physical therapy is a great way to treat pelvic floor dysfunction as the therapist will conduct a thorough examination to determine the best treatment for your unique condition.

These therapeutic procedures will provide a safe restructuring of your pelvic floor muscles. The main focus of these physical therapies is to regain the strength and function of your pelvic floor muscles and mitigate the pain, weakness, and dysfunction in the muscles.

How Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Help With A Hip Labral Tear?

A certified physical therapist will inspect your pelvic muscles and manipulate them to enhance their strength and functioning. The therapist might consider stretching the muscles with combat or short resistance in case they are contracted or overworked, which is often the primary reason for discomfort in the lower back, hips, groin, legs, and abdomen.

It will strengthen the muscles that are weak and dysfunctional. These therapies work best when you combine them with nutritional guidance, bodywork, massage, and yoga. Above all, pelvic floor therapy is designed to cater to individuals’ needs and help them recover faster than other treatments. So, whenever you seek help from a professional pelvic floor physical therapist, they will help you learn how to manage your hip pain and treat pelvic floor dysfunction.

So, stop taking a hip injury lightly because these types of injuries can lead to severe problems in the long run, so it’s better to treat them right. But remember, even if your hip pain is fixed, the underlying pelvic floor will still have an issue. Make sure your physical therapist works on addressing both problems rather than focusing on just one.

Bottom Line

Tears can occur all over the hip labrum as the anterior hip joint has access to the limited blood supply, which makes it vulnerable to degeneration and wear, greater stress, and mechanical weakness. Hip labral tears often take time to recover as they don’t receive enough blood supply. But some studies show that some patients can successfully recover from hip pain and pelvic floor dysfunction and get back to their everyday lives. Other patients may need surgical treatment for the labral tear and are recommended to take pelvic physical therapy to prepare themselves for surgery and postoperative rehabilitation.