Chronic Back and Hip Pain

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What is chronic back and hip pain?

Chronic back and hip pain is pain that sticks around for months or even years, often showing up as stiffness, aching, sharp twinges, or a deep soreness that never quite goes away. It can start after an injury, surgery, or years of repetitive strain, but for many people, it develops slowly with no clear “one moment” that caused it. Common culprits include joint degeneration, muscle imbalance, nerve irritation, posture issues, or internal scar tissue that restricts normal movement. The tricky part is that the back and hips work as a team—when one area isn’t moving well, the other often compensates, leading to ongoing discomfort that flares with sitting, standing, walking, or sleeping. Over time, chronic back and hip pain can affect daily routines, energy levels, and quality of life, making even simple activities feel like hard work.

Common Related Conditions

Post-surgical adhesions

Endometriosis

Causes of chronic back and hip pain

Important but frequently overlooked causes of chronic back or hip pain are structural and mechanical problems associated with adhesions. Adhesions are naturally occurring glue-like bonds that tend to form in the support structures of the pelvis, back, and hip after a surgery, fall, infection, or other tissue damage. Invisible to X-ray, CT, and MRI, these bonds can be powerful, scientifically measured at a tensile strength of 18,000 pounds/in2 (1,266 kg/cmÇ). It is no small wonder they cause persistent ‘unexplained’ pain at these important structural areas of the body, where they can constrict nerves or pull support structures of the back or hip out of proper alignment.

Powerful unseen adhesions are important factors that contribute to recurrent back and hip pain. Falls and injuries that occur early in life, in school, or afterwards can cause adhesions to form in the joints of the hip, low back, or sacrum, which is the body’s center of gravity and stability.

Symptoms of chronic back and hip pain

Unexplained persistent back and hip pain
Prolonged morning stiffness
Concurrent sacroiliac or tailbone pain
Difficulty standing or sitting for long periods of time
Back or leg pain when in bed, or when standing, walking, or sitting

Treatment for chronic back and hip pain

While adhesions are invisible to diagnostic tests, Clear Passage® Therapists are experts at palpating adhered structures. We spend the time needed to assess any misalignment within the support structures of the back, pelvis, and hips. Decades of research and development have given us the tools to decrease the powerful collagenous bonds that pull the structures of the sacrum, pelvis, and lower back into alignment. As we do, mobility returns and pain generally decreases significantly.

Over your time in therapy, we will ask you to spend time walking and ask you about the differences you are feeling. We may observe your gait as we work together to return your body to its optimal, pain-free state. Freed of the glue-like adhesions that have bound their structure for years, most patients find that they can move as they did years ago, before the onset of chronic pain.

Our goal is to first decrease your pain and then restore your function. As pain begins to resolve, we work to restore alignment, balance, and mobility to the low back, sacrum, sciatic, and hip areas. As symptoms begin to subside, we realign these structures with your legs (below) and your trunk (above) to allow your body to become more balanced, symmetrical, and functional.

Other Treatment Options (Surgery, Drugs)

We have found that many patients do not obtain pain resolution after traditional physical therapy or medications. Chiropractic care may help, but only temporarily, as it does not address the underlying adhesions that pull bony structures out of balance. Our work can be a natural complement to expert chiropractic care.

Most physicians agree that surgery is a treatment of last resort. While surgery can address adhesions and other mechanical problems, it generally causes more adhesions to form. We suspect that new adhesion formation is one reason that surgery does not always result in lasting relief. In fact, some people find their pain worsens after surgery.

Condition Specific Disclaimer:

Clear Passage® Therapy is a specialized, non-surgical manual physical therapy that focuses on addressing adhesions and soft tissue restrictions that contribute to pain or limited mobility. The information on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.

As such, we do not diagnose, treat, or cure medical or structural conditions of the spine, joints, or musculoskeletal system. The information on this website should not replace consultation with a licensed physician. If you are experiencing severe or sudden back or hip pain or loss of bladder or bowel control, seek immediate medical attention.

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