Is Trauma Stored in The Hips?

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Why the Hips Don’t Lie About Stored Trauma and PTSD Symptoms

On this page, we will answer what might seem at first to be an odd question: Is trauma stored in the hips? Of all of the places where you might notice signs of emotional stress, the hips probably aren’t high on the list of usual suspects.

For anyone struggling with PTSD or trauma, this is a question that comes up often, and for good reason. By the end of the page, you’ll have a better understanding of how emotional trauma affects the whole body.

There is a close connection between emotional and physical health. It’s quite difficult, if not impossible, to have one without the other. If you are ready to work on your emotional health with the guidance of a team of experienced professionals, contact Catalina Behavioral Health in Tucson, Arizona, today.

Where Does Trauma Originate? Tracing Trauma to the Hips

So, why would we be talking about storing trauma in the hips in the first place? This is an idea that has come into focus over recent years as more and more is learned about the mind-body connection.

People who have experience with chronic stress or traumatic memories often report physical sensations that seem to be disconnected from any obvious injury. In other words, they are having physical sensations without a natural explanation, which is what led medical professionals to start exploring the possibility that the nervous system impacts how the body holds tension.

At first, anyone experiencing hip pain would naturally think about what in their physical past might have led to such issues. Could it be from overuse? Or, maybe there was some type of injury many years ago that never healed correctly?

Those explanations can certainly apply to some people who have tight hips, but they don’t add up for everyone. If you are dealing with muscle tension in this area and don’t have any other way to explain it, trauma could actually be the underlying cause.

Understanding Trauma as a Whole Body Experience

Trauma is a psychological experience first and foremost. Many people are familiar with what trauma can do psychologically, and working with a mental health professional to address trauma is a smart first step when facing this situation. With that said, trauma is also a physiological experience with the potential to impact the upper and lower body.

It’s helpful to think about what the body does when it senses danger. In a moment of danger, the body will prepare for survival through a variety of responses. It might choose to get ready to fight, it might want to run away, or it may simply freeze.

These are subconscious responses, and they can take a toll on the body over time. If trauma is unresolved or if it keeps being repeated, the nervous system can effectively become stuck in a heightened or dysregulated state.

The physical outcomes of trauma can present themselves in various ways. It could be muscle tension, poor posture, pain, fatigue, and more. This kind of emotional tension is hard to let go of, and only when a person can release stored trauma is it likely that physical health will start to improve.

Why the Hips Are a Focal Point for Trauma and PTSD

Okay, so we’ve established that the emotional processing of trauma can be related to physical symptoms. But why would the hips be such a common point of trouble? The answer can be found in the critical role that the hips play in the overall movement of the body. The hips are key for balance and movement, and the health of your hips affects posture and many other physical traits.

It is important to note the presence of the psoas muscle in this area of the body. A tight psoas muscle, which is a deep core muscle that connects your spine to your legs, can make it difficult to move freely or comfortably.

While treatment like a deep tissue massage might help deal with tightness in this area, working to truly heal trauma through proper trauma therapy is more likely to lead to lasting results and improvement.

Muscle Memory and Protective Tension

You may have heard the term ‘muscle memory‘ previously in relation to learning a task or action. Muscles don’t have the ability to store memories the same way the brain does, but they do respond directly to signals from your nervous system. Over time, they will adapt to the signals they receive and repeat the movement associated with those signals repeatedly.

In the case of a trauma response, this can mean that the body may brace for danger over and over again. This protective tension might feel like stiffness, soreness, or an overall lack of flexibility in the muscles.

 If you can’t release tension by releasing trauma, the body will continue to suffer in this way, and the damage will get worse over time. The tension can certainly impact the centrally located psoas muscle, but there is really no limit to what parts of the body may be gradually harmed.

What are the Most Common Physical Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD?

Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a difficult mental health condition to live with. While it’s often associated with service members who have experienced violent or traumatic experiences, PTSD can affect civilians, as well.

And, without the right emotional release and the right mental health support, it’s likely that physical manifestations of PTSD will appear in one way or another.

Chronic pain is a possible starting point for these symptoms, including pain in the hip region. Also, gastrointestinal issues are common for people with PTSD, as are headaches and general muscle tension.

As an added issue, research has shown that trauma can alter how the brain processes sensory information. That means that people who have been through trauma and continue to deal with that trauma may feel physical sensations even more intensely.

Talk Therapy is Great, But Not Always Enough

There are hardly enough positive things to be said about talk therapy. It’s a tremendously effective and helpful tool for people who have experienced all kinds of trauma. No matter what type of trauma has impacted your life, it’s likely that talk therapy will be able to at least play some role in helping you process that trauma and move forward.

With all of that said, it won’t always be possible for talk therapy alone to get the job done. This is because the trauma doesn’t only live in your conscious memory. That trauma can also impact reflexes, sensations, and automatic responses that might not be accessible through conversations alone.

This is a frustrating reality that many people have experienced. Despite making tremendous progress with a therapist, many still experience physical symptoms. They feel like they now understand their trauma on an intellectual level, and yet the pain and tension persist. Basically, the mind understands that a threat is no longer present, but the body is still prepared for danger.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Trauma Treatment Approach

A comprehensive approach to treatment is where further breakthroughs can occur. This means going through multiple layers of experience to address trauma that has been experienced. These layers can include emotional processing, nervous system regulation, behavioral changes, and support for physical well-being.

When a mental health professional takes a whole-person approach to treating trauma, they understand that the physical and emotional are deeply connected. Building treatment plans that attempt to heal the body as well as the mind means using not only therapy but also stress management techniques, education, perhaps physical therapy, and more.

Listening to Your Body Without Jumping to Conclusions

There is an empowering feeling that comes with paying attention to how stress affects the body. Once you notice what you are feeling in your body and how it connects to what is going through your mind, you’ll start to feel more in control than you may have been in years.

Unfortunately, it’s also possible for this sense of agency to go too far. It’s important to avoid any self-diagnosis or oversimplification of what could be a complicated, multifaceted problem.

As it relates to the focus of this article, hip pain can come in many forms and for many reasons. It’s very possible that your hip pain is caused by unresolved trauma and years of tension and physical anxiety, but you can’t be sure of that just yet.

If physical symptoms are persistent or concerning, the best step is a medical evaluation with a professional. Seeing your doctor about the pain is the right starting point for getting to the bottom of the matter.

t may be the case that there is a physical explanation and solution for the pain or stiffness that you feel. Alternatively, your doctor might struggle to find a physical explanation, and you may then choose to pursue more insight into the trauma explanation for hip discomfort.

Make Yourself the Priority: Get Trauma Support Today

It’s easy to put your emotional blockages on the back burner while dealing with the frenetic pace and challenges of your daily life. That’s a natural pattern that many people fall into, but it can take a toll on the human body over time.

Let’s change this pattern today. Call the Catalina Behavioral Health team. Emotional healing can be closer than you would expect. We’d want to get to know you and help you chart a path toward a brighter future. All calls are confidential, so please reach out for proven support now.

REFERENCES

1. Siccardi, M. A., Tariq, M. A., & Valle, C. (2023, August 8). Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb: Psoas major. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
2. Toth, A. (2022, July 15). The science behind muscle memory. Stanford Medicine News Center.