Hip Pain

Medically reviewed by Dr. Malik Prihar, DC | Last updated April 27, 2026

Hip Pain Treatment in Marysville & Monroe

The hip is one of the most heavily loaded joints in the body — it carries your weight every step and provides the rotation you need to walk, climb stairs, get in and out of a car, sit, and stand. When the hip joint or the tissues around it stop working correctly, pain can show up in the groin, the outside of the hip, the glutes, or even refer down into the thigh and knee. The other thing about hips: they rarely have a problem in isolation. Hip pain is often the symptom of something happening in the lower back, the pelvis, or the foot — and untreated hip pain reliably starts producing back pain or knee pain from compensation. This page covers what hip pain actually feels like, when it warrants more than chiropractic care, and what care looks like at our Marysville and Monroe clinics.

What Hip Pain Actually Feels Like

Where the pain shows up tells us a lot about where the problem is. The patterns we see most often:

• Pain in the groin when walking, climbing stairs, or rotating the leg — usually points to the hip joint itself
• Pain on the outside of the hip, often worse when lying on that side at night — usually bursitis or gluteal tendon involvement
• Pain in the back of the hip or buttock — often the SI joint or referred from the lumbar spine (sometimes sciatica)
• Stiffness getting out of a chair, out of bed, or out of a car — that loosens after the first few minutes of walking
• A catching or pinching sensation when lifting the leg or rotating the hip
• Night pain that wakes you when rolling onto the affected side
• Pain that's changed the way you walk — a limp, a shortened stride, or hiking the hip

Common Causes

• Hip joint dysfunction — restricted motion in the ball-and-socket joint causing pinching, catching, or stiffness
• SI joint problems — pain at the back of the pelvis where it meets the spine, frequently felt as one-sided low-back or buttock pain
• Hip bursitis and gluteal tendinopathy — inflammation on the outside of the hip, often aggravated by side-sleeping and walking
• Tight hip flexors and weak glutes — extremely common in people who sit most of the day, leading to anterior hip pain and altered gait (often paired with poor posture)
• Referred pain from the spine — what feels like hip pain can actually be coming from a lumbar joint or a pinched nerve
• Hip arthritis — degenerative changes in the joint, see arthritis
• Post-injury or post-surgical stiffness — incomplete rehab after a fall, sports injury, or hip procedure

When Chiropractic Is the Right Fit — and When to Go Elsewhere

Most mechanical hip pain — the kind that changes with position, movement, or activity — responds well to conservative care. You should seek urgent or emergency care instead if you experience any of the following:

• Severe hip pain following a fall, especially in older adults (possible hip fracture)
• Inability to bear weight on the leg
• Visible deformity, swelling, or bruising of the hip
• Fever, redness, or hot swelling around the joint (possible infection)
• Sudden severe pain with no clear mechanical cause
• Progressive weakness or numbness in the leg

If you're not sure which category you're in, call either clinic — we'll help you figure out the right next step rather than booking you in by default.

How We Evaluate and Treat Hip Pain at Living Well Clinics

The first visit is built around figuring out where the pain is actually coming from — which is more often than not somewhere other than where it hurts. A typical exam includes:

• History — when it started, what makes it better or worse, sleep position, walking distance, prior injuries
• Hip range of motion and orthopedic testing — FABER, FADIR, scour, and resisted strength tests to localize the involved structure
• Spine, pelvis, and gait assessment — because hip pain is so often driven by something happening above or below it
• On-site digital X-ray when indicated — to assess for arthritic changes, alignment issues, or post-trauma findings

From there, treatment is matched to what the exam shows. Most plans combine some of the following:

• Chiropractic care for the hip, SI joint, and lumbar spine to restore segmental motion. If you're curious about the mechanics, you can read more about how chiropractic care works.
• Injury rehabilitation — glute and deep hip stabilizer strengthening to take load off the joint and the surrounding tendons
• Mobility rehabilitation to address tight hip flexors, restricted internal rotation, and the postural patterns that contributed to the issue
• Soft-tissue therapy for the muscles guarding around the joint
• Coordination with imaging providers or orthopedic referral when surgical evaluation is appropriate

What Recovery Typically Looks Like

Most patients with mechanical hip pain notice meaningful change within the first 2–4 visits — easier walking, longer pain-free stretches, less night pain. Full resolution most often takes 4–8 weeks of consistent care, longer when there's significant arthritic involvement or compensation patterns built up over years. Clinical practice guidelines from the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy support manual therapy and exercise as effective options for hip osteoarthritis and gluteal tendinopathy. We re-evaluate at set checkpoints; if you're not progressing the way we'd expect, we adjust the plan or refer out.

Self-Care Between Visits

• Don't sit for long stretches. Hip flexors shorten quickly — stand and walk for 1–2 minutes every 30 minutes.
• Sleep setup: a pillow between the knees when side-sleeping takes meaningful pressure off the hip joint and bursa
• Walk daily, even short distances. Walking is one of the most reliable things you can do for hip pain that's settling in.
• Heat before activity, ice after if a flare-up is acute
• Avoid the position that reproduces your symptoms for the first two weeks — including crossing the affected leg over the other, or sitting low and deep on a soft couch

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my hip pain actually coming from my back?

Often, yes. The lumbar spine, SI joint, and hip share innervation and mechanics, so pain felt in the hip frequently has a low-back driver. Part of the first-visit exam is figuring out which is which.

Will I need an X-ray or MRI?

We use on-site X-ray when there's history of trauma, suspected arthritic involvement, or pain that isn't responding to conservative care. MRI is usually reserved for cases where the exam suggests labral or significant structural involvement. We coordinate the referral when needed.

Should I rest or stay active?

Stay active in the ways that don't reproduce sharp pain. Walking and gentle range-of-motion are usually fine; deep squats, prolonged sitting, or running through pain typically aren't. We'll give you specifics based on the exam.

Is chiropractic care safe if I have hip arthritis?

Yes, when it's the right fit. We use techniques matched to the joint's tolerance — often lower-force methods for arthritic hips — and combine adjustments with rehabilitation and mobility work to take load off the joint. Care is never one-size-fits-all here.

How many visits will it take?

Most uncomplicated cases need somewhere between 6 and 16 visits over 4–8 weeks, tapering as symptoms resolve. We re-evaluate at regular checkpoints so you're not in care longer than you need to be.

Does insurance cover hip pain treatment?

Most major insurance plans we accept cover chiropractic care for hip pain when medically necessary. Visit our New Patients page or call either clinic — we'll verify your benefits before your first visit.

Hip Pain Treatment in Monroe & Marysville

Living Well Clinics has been treating hip pain in Snohomish County for over 16 years. You'll get the same evaluation and care standard at either location:

• Marysville Clinic — serving Marysville, Arlington, Lake Stevens, and Smokey Point
• Monroe Clinic — serving Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Snohomish, and Duvall

Related Conditions

Hip pain frequently shows up alongside back pain, sciatica, knee pain, arthritis, poor posture, or pinched nerves — the lumbar spine, pelvis, hip, and knee function as one chain, so trouble in one rarely stays put.

Schedule a Hip Pain Evaluation

If your hip pain has been hanging around longer than it should — or it's started changing the way you walk — the right next step is a focused exam to figure out where the pain is actually coming from. Both clinics are open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Call (360) 805-8252 or learn what to expect on our New Patients page. You can also stop by our Marysville or Monroe office.

This page is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. If you experience severe hip pain following a fall, are unable to bear weight on the leg, or have signs of infection or progressive neurological change, seek urgent or emergency care immediately. See our healthcare disclaimer.