Conditions
Acupuncture for hip arthritis, with Dr. Peter Caron.
Most people I see for hip arthritis aren’t ready for a replacement. Part of the daily pain comes from the gluteal muscles, which weaken and tighten around a stiff hip. I treat those muscles and the joint together.
Why it hasn’t gotten better
The hip stiffens, and the rest of the body works around it.
You may have had an injection that helped for a few months. Over the years you shorten your stride and lean away from the sore side. The gluteal muscles that hold your pelvis level weaken and tighten.
Part of the daily pain comes from that compensation, and that part is what I can most directly change.
When to see a physician first
See a physician first for hip or groin pain that came on suddenly, or pain after a fall. The same goes for a hip that suddenly won’t take your weight. Tell me on the call, and I’ll point you to the right physician.
What it feels like
What people describe when they first call.
- A deep ache in the groin or the front of the hip
- Putting on socks or shoes has become a project
- The first few steps after sitting are stiff, then it loosens
- Getting in and out of a car takes planning
- You’ve started to limp by the end of a long walk
- Pain that travels down the front of the thigh toward the knee
If you recognized yourself in that list, the free 15-minute call is the place to start.
How I treat it
The muscles around the hip are where I start.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture calms the pain signals from the hip and releases the gluteal and hip muscles that have been guarding it, so your stride can lengthen again.
Fine needles go around the joint and into the gluteal and front hip muscles guarding it. Light electrical stimulation helps them release and work normally again.
- Electroacupuncture
- Motor-point stimulation
- Trigger point release
- Periarticular needling
Herbal medicine
An herbal formula helps reduce the inflammation and morning stiffness in the joint between visits.
Some hips are worse on cold, damp days or stiffest on waking. An herbal formula matched to that pattern works on the stiffness between visits.
- Herbal formula
- Constitutional support
I set how often you come in by how the hip responds.
Fifteen minutes on the phone is usually enough to tell whether I can help.
Your first visit
What happens the first time you come in.
- We go through the history When it started, what you’ve already tried, and what your imaging shows if you’ve had any.
- I watch how you move How you walk, sit down, and lift your leg to put on a shoe, and which muscles around the hip are guarding.
- You’re treated the same day Fine needles around the hip and at the motor points of the gluteal muscles, usually with light electrical stimulation.
- You leave with a plan How often to come in, and what should have changed by the fourth visit.
What to expect
How it usually goes, visit by visit.
I check your walking at every visit, so you’ll know early if it’s working.
- Visits 1–2 The muscles around the hip start to let go. The first steps after sitting are often the first thing to change.
- Visits 3–6 You can walk further before the ache starts, and putting on shoes gets easier.
- After that We space visits out to hold the change. If nothing has improved by the fourth visit, I’ll say so and suggest what to try next.
Typical ranges, not promises. Results vary from person to person.
You’ll know at the first visit roughly how many visits it should take.
What the research shows
Rheumatology guidelines list acupuncture as an option for hip arthritis, though the hip has far less research than the knee.
The 2019 guideline from the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation conditionally recommends acupuncture for hip arthritis. Most of the research behind it was done in the knee.
For the hip, a 2018 Cochrane review found little or no difference between real and sham acupuncture for pain. Adding acupuncture to usual care helped more, but those trials weren’t blinded.
Questions
What people ask about hip arthritis.
Something not covered here? Ask on the free discovery call.
Very little for most people. You may feel a dull ache deep in the buttock or a twitch. Electrical stimulation feels like a gentle tapping.
The first steps after sitting are often the first thing to change. By visits three to six, you should be able to walk further. If nothing has changed by the fourth visit, I’ll say so.
Hip arthritis usually aches in the groin or the front of the hip. Pain on the outside of the hip or in the buttock often comes from the lower back or nearby tendons. I check for that at the first visit.
Yes, if you want to wait or you’ve been told you’re not ready. It won’t change the joint, so I can’t promise it delays surgery. If your hip sounds too far along, I’ll say so on the call.
Please do. The gluteal muscles are easier to strengthen once needling releases them and every rep doesn’t hurt.
No, you can book without it. If you’ve had imaging, bring the report. Sudden hip or groin pain needs a physician first. So does pain after a fall, or a hip that won’t take your weight.
It depends on your plan’s out-of-network benefits, since we don’t bill insurers. After each visit we send a superbill you can submit. Check with your plan before your first visit.
If your question isn’t here, ask it on the call. It’s free and takes fifteen minutes.
Related conditions
Often treated alongside this one.
Knee arthritis
For stairs that are harder going down than up.
Lower back pain
For the ache that’s worst when you first get up.
Sciatica
For pain that runs from the lower back down the leg.
Start here
Tell me how far you can walk before the hip starts to ache.
On a short call, I can tell you whether acupuncture is likely to help. I’ll also say how it fits with your current care.
If you already know you want to come in, book an initial visit.