Have you ever started to feel pain or swelling in your hips? You may have hip osteoarthritis. This occurs when your joints inflame in the hip area and cartilage tissue is broken down. A recent study found that manual, long-axis hip traction improves upon relieving the pain and dysfunction associated with hip osteoarthritis (OA).
The study was conducted by Dr. John Medeiros, of the Pacific University School of Physical Therapy and Dr. Tony Rocklin, of Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy in Portland, Oregon. The doctors followed two patients who were treated with manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and the HipTrac™ device.
Manual therapy and the therapeutic exercise program targeted impairments each patient presented at each treatment session. The HipTrac™ device was applied in the clinic and at home. It was used to assist with mobilizing the hip joints and providing pain relief. The HipTrac™ device allowed each patient to be able to perform long-axis hip traction at home which mimicked the manual therapy they received at the clinic.
The study found improvements in all the below outcome measures:
- Care Connections Functional Index (CCFI)
- Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS)
- Range of Motion (ROM)
- Manual muscle tests
- Performance of functional single-leg squats
- Performance of single-leg deadlifts
Consistent use of the HipTrac™ device can naturally reduce pain and increase mobility to improve exercise ability and performance. It is recommended for individuals who are actively working to comfortably delay hip surgery that may be needed. One of the patients in the study was successfully able to delay hip surgery for two years, and he reported this wouldn’t have been possible without using the HipTrac™ regularly at home.
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