Julie Donnelly, LMT, writes about her recent experience with a number of her clients experiencing hip pain, thigh pain, knee pain, and pain down the outside of the lower leg.  In these clients' cases, it was the Tensor Fascia Lata and tow of the three Gluteal muscles: Medius, Minimus.  The Gluteus Medius is directly over the Gluteus Minimus, so treating one will actually treat both.  And the Tensor Fascia Lata is right next to both these muscles.

All these muscles insert into the same area of the hip, and for different reasons, they all cause hip pain.  Also, each muscle refers pain to a different location,  

so you think you have a problem in these referred pain locations, but they are all coming from your hip.

This is one of the many times when working on one area will solve many different problems.  There is a trigger point (spasm) that is the source ot that pain pattern. In each of these cases the pain is being felt along the insertion points for the muscles.

  To relieve the muscle spasms that are causing the problem, use a tennis ball or baseball.  Either lie on the floor or stand up and lean into a wall.  Lean into the ball, easing your pressure onto the ball gradually.  As the muscle releases it will hurt less and less.  Then you can rotate your body, so that the ball is pressing into the front of your hip or rotating so the ball is rolling toward the back of your body.  You will likely find multiple painful tender spots.  Each spot is a spasm that is putting pressure on your bones or is pulling on the tendon (called the llio Tibial Band-ITB) that is putting pressure onto your lateral knee joint.  
     You can stop pain fast too!  Even chronic pain releases when you treat the source and not just the symptom!

~  Mary Ann

Next week: Are Low Carb Diets Healthier?