Hip and leg pain after an auto accident are often caused by back injuries. Because the hip is a ball and socket joint, there are many different types of soft tissues and nerves that travel through the hip area to connect the spine with the lower half of the body.

An auto accident has the potential to misalign a person's spine, which may cause a significant amount of pain to both the hips and legs. Auto accident injuries may also cause muscle strains in the hip, pelvis, and lower back areas that can also produce painful back spasms. Typically, doctors prescribe medications to reduce pain. However, that doesn't resolve the underlying condition with the spine or hip injuries. For that, it is recommended that you schedule an appointment with a chiropractor.

If you are continually suffering from hip and leg pain, you may be experiencing a condition that is affecting the bone structure, the lumbar spine, or the nerves that are attached to the spine. Once the pain begins, your first priority should be to schedule an evaluation with a chiropractor who understands and is experienced in hip and leg pain. Chiropractors have necessary training to treat many conditions that involve the back and hips.

What Causes Hip and Leg Pain?

Most hip injuries can occur during a front-end auto accident. Leg injuries can also occur from front-end auto accidents, but they can also be a prominent injury when the car is hit from the side. In a front-end accident, a person is thrusted forward, causing the muscles and bones in their hips to become strained or knocked out of place. The knees, however, may slam against the dashboard or they can even be crushed in a front-end accident. When a car is hit from the side, a person's body is forced into the side of car and then thrusted into the center of the car or vice versa. This is typically when a person's hip is pushed out of place or when the legs are injured based on the angle of the seat belt, which covers a person's lap and torso.

How Do Chiropractors Assess Hip and Leg Pain?

When a patient is suffering from hip and leg pain, a chiropractor will typically want to closely examine x-rays or MRI scans and perform a physical examination to make a proper assessment. Measuring the pain is actually one of most difficult things to do for chiropractors because it's about communication, and establishing a dialogue about pain between the patient and doctor can be challenging based on the amount of information to obtain in a short amount of time.

Chiropractors will assess the pain and determine if it is intermittent or constant, what type of pain is occurring (e.g., stabbing, burning, etc.), what triggers pain, when pain is more likely to occur during the day, and how much pain the patient is in on a scale of 0-10. After establishing a dialogue of the patient's situation and understanding the extent of the pain, good assessment will help chiropractors previous treatments and any medications being taken.

Some chiropractors may ask the patient to keep a journal of the pain that demonstrates the level of pain that occurs. This will help them better understand the patterns of the condition. A good assessment will help chiropractors understand what type of treatment will best suit the patient and help relieve the amount of stress they have.

Don't let hip and leg pain prevent you from participating in life! Depending on your condition, a chiropractor can help. Schedule your free consultation today.