Hip Pain & Injury Physiotherapy in Kettering

Vidhi Sharma

Specialist Neurological Physiotherapist

Registration: HCPC PH111536, CSP Member
Specialisms: neurological and stroke rehabilitation, falls prevention, elderly and post-operative rehabilitation
Phone: 07858 700 126
Please mention Mobile Physiotherapist.co.uk when you call
Email: vidhi.d3@gmail.com

Hip pain treated at home in Kettering

Hip pain is easy to work around until suddenly it is not. People in Kettering typically get in touch when the limp has become permanent, when getting out of the car has started to hurt, or when they have realised they are planning their day around avoiding the stairs. Almost all of it is treatable, and most of the treatment is loading the hip properly rather than resting it.

If you are waiting for an orthopaedic appointment, the waiting time is not dead time. Strength and walking tolerance built now carry through whatever the outcome of that appointment turns out to be.

Hip problems we see most often

Hip osteoarthritis

Stiffness first thing in the morning, groin pain that can travel to the thigh or knee, and a walking distance that has quietly been shrinking. Strengthening and graded activity are the first-line treatment and the evidence for them is good.

Gluteal tendinopathy and trochanteric bursitis

Pain over the bony point on the outside of the hip, worse lying on that side at night, climbing stairs or standing on one leg. Often mislabelled as arthritis, and it needs a very different loading programme.

Hip impingement and labral irritation

Pinching groin pain at the end of range — deep squatting, getting in and out of the car, sitting for long periods. More common in younger and more active people.

Groin, hip flexor and adductor strains

Usually a clear moment of injury, or a sudden increase in activity. Recovery depends far more on graded loading than on rest.

Pain referred from the lower back

Buttock pain, pain travelling below the knee, or pins and needles. This is not a hip problem at all, and treating it as one is why some people make no progress for months.

After a hip fracture or a fall

Rebuilding walking, balance and confidence, which is largely work that happens after hospital discharge and continues well beyond it.

Hip, or back? They are not the same problem

A large share of "hip pain" turns out not to be the hip joint at all, and this is the most common reason people spend months doing exercises that were never going to help. As a rough guide:

Groin pain, sometimes referring into the front of the thigh or as far as the knee, points to the hip joint itself.
Pain over the bony point on the outside of the hip, worse lying on that side, points to the gluteal tendons and bursa — not the joint.
Buttock pain travelling below the knee, or pins and needles and numbness, usually points to the lower back.

These three need genuinely different treatment, so the first appointment is spent working out which one you have before any programme is written.

What the first visit involves

A proper conversation about how the pain behaves — when it started, what makes it worse, how it affects sleep, and what you have stopped doing because of it
Assessment of hip movement, strength, balance and walking, plus a check of the lower back where the picture is unclear
A look at the stairs, chair and bed you actually use, which is the practical advantage of being assessed at home
A short, specific exercise programme matched to what your hip currently tolerates — not a generic sheet
A straight answer about what is going on, roughly how long it should take, and whether anything needs a GP or consultant opinion

Treatment and how long it takes

Most hip rehabilitation is progressive strengthening, because the hip is a joint that responds to load and gets worse with avoidance. Alongside that, treatment usually includes hands-on work where it helps, advice on pacing and on how to sleep more comfortably, walking and stairs practice, and adjustments to the everyday movements that keep aggravating things.

Many hip problems improve meaningfully over six to twelve weeks. Long-standing tendon problems are slower and are honestly measured in months. Appointments usually start weekly or fortnightly and spread out as the programme takes hold — you are not asked to commit to a block of sessions before anyone knows what is wrong.

Already had a hip replacement?

This page is about hip pain that has not been operated on. If you have had a hip or knee replaced and want help with the recovery — walking, stairs, swelling and getting strength back — the hip and knee replacement rehab page for Kettering covers that instead.

Home visits across Kettering

Vidhi covers Kettering and the surrounding towns and villages — Barton Seagrave, Burton Latimer, Broughton, Rothwell, Desborough and the surrounding countryside. If your care has been through Kettering General Hospital, she can work alongside it, and will tell you honestly if something needs a medical opinion before rehabilitation is appropriate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a GP referral?

No. This is a private service and you can book directly. If Vidhi thinks your symptoms need a GP or consultant opinion first, she will say so at the assessment.

What actually causes hip pain if it is not arthritis?

Very commonly the gluteal tendons and the bursa on the outside of the hip, which cause pain when you lie on that side or climb stairs. Also hip impingement and labral irritation in younger and more active people, groin and hip flexor strains, and pain referred from the lower back. These need quite different programmes, which is why the assessment matters more than the label.

Will exercise make it worse?

Some discomfort during and shortly after exercise is normal and is not damage. Pain that is clearly worse the next morning means the dose was too high, not that exercise is wrong. Vidhi sets the starting level from what your hip currently tolerates and builds from there, which is why a programme off the internet often flares things up when a tailored one does not.

Can you help after a hip fracture?

Yes. Rehabilitation after a hip fracture is mostly about walking, balance, confidence and getting strength back, and it is work that carries on well after hospital discharge. Doing it at home, on the surfaces and furniture you actually use, is a real advantage.

How long before I notice a difference?

Many people notice something within two to three weeks, usually in how far they can walk or how they sleep, before the pain itself changes much. Tendon problems are slower and are measured in months rather than weeks — Vidhi will be straight with you about which one you have.

Do you visit Kettering at home?

Yes, all appointments are home visits across Kettering and the surrounding villages, with no travel and no waiting room at either end.