Hip pain that limits your walking, your sleep, or your activity? Dr. Rob Kelch is Peoria's only CCEP-certified chiropractor — with advanced training in hip joint mechanics. Correct the cause. Restore your movement. Avoid surgery.
The hip is one of the most mechanically significant joints in the body. It bears the full load of the upper body, drives all lower extremity movement, and works in constant coordination with the lumbar spine and pelvis. When the hip stops moving properly, something else compensates — and that's usually where the pain shows up.
Many patients with low back pain, sciatica, knee pain, and even foot problems have restricted hip joint mobility as a primary contributing factor. Conversely, true hip pathology is often misdiagnosed as a back problem. Dr. Kelch's combined lumbar and hip assessment catches both patterns.
Most hip pain doesn't require surgery. Bursitis, hip flexor tendinitis, piriformis syndrome, and early osteoarthritis all respond well to chiropractic care that corrects hip joint mechanics, addresses the surrounding soft tissue, and restores normal movement patterns — without injections or hip replacement.
Inflammation of the bursa over the greater trochanter causing sharp outer hip pain — often worse lying on the affected side or walking stairs. Dr. Kelch reduces the IT band tension and hip abductor weakness that overloads the trochanteric bursa, resolving bursitis without cortisone injections.
Tightness or spasm of the piriformis muscle deep in the buttock that compresses the sciatic nerve — producing buttock pain and sciatica-like symptoms down the leg. Dr. Kelch releases the piriformis and corrects the hip joint restriction that drives the muscle into chronic tightness.
Pain at the front of the hip from iliopsoas inflammation or strain — common in runners, cyclists, soccer players, and those who sit for long hours. Dr. Kelch treats the lumbar and hip mechanics that overload the hip flexors along with direct soft tissue work on the iliopsoas.
Degenerative joint changes in the hip causing groin pain, stiffness, and limited range of motion. Chiropractic care reduces pain and improves function by optimizing joint mechanics and reducing the asymmetric loading patterns that accelerate cartilage degeneration — often providing significant relief even in moderate OA.
Femoroacetabular impingement causes groin pain with hip flexion — common in young athletes and active adults. Conservative chiropractic management of FAI improves mobility, reduces pain, and in many cases allows patients to avoid or delay surgical intervention.
The SI joint connects the pelvis to the sacrum and is a common but frequently missed source of low back and buttock pain. Dr. Kelch is highly skilled at identifying and treating SI joint dysfunction — a condition that responds directly and often dramatically to specific chiropractic manipulation.
Hip treatment at Absolute Wellness addresses the joint itself, the lumbar spine and pelvis, and the surrounding musculature — because hip pain is almost never a single-structure problem.
Dr. Kelch evaluates hip internal and external rotation, flexion and extension, Thomas test for hip flexor tightness, FABER and FADIR tests for joint pathology, and piriformis length — combined with lumbar evaluation to identify the full picture of dysfunction contributing to your hip pain.
CCEP-certified manipulation of the hip joint restores normal arthrokinematics — the rolling and gliding motions the femoral head performs in the acetabulum. Restoring this normal joint motion reduces impingement, decreases pain, and allows the surrounding muscles to function normally.
The lumbar spine and SI joint work in constant coordination with the hip. Lumbar dysfunction increases hip loading and vice versa. Dr. Kelch treats the full lumbopelvic complex — not just the hip in isolation — for results that hold up over time.
Direct soft tissue treatment of the piriformis, iliopsoas, IT band, and hip abductors reduces the muscle tension that compresses the hip joint and surrounding bursae. This is often the fastest-acting intervention for acute hip bursitis and piriformis syndrome.
Hip pain almost always alters walking mechanics — and those altered mechanics create secondary problems throughout the kinetic chain. Dr. Kelch evaluates your gait and addresses the movement compensations that develop around hip pain, preventing downstream knee and back problems.
Hip abductor and external rotator weakness are among the most common contributors to hip bursitis, IT band syndrome, and knee pain. Dr. Kelch prescribes targeted strengthening exercises that build the hip stability needed to protect the joint from future overload.
Most chiropractors don't adjust the hip joint — they treat the lumbar spine and hope the hip improves. Dr. Kelch's CCEP certification gives him the specific training to assess and manipulate the hip joint directly, treating the actual source of the problem rather than just the structures around it.
No other provider in the Peoria area evaluates the hip, lumbar spine, and lower extremity together with the same level of expertise in every segment. For patients with complex pain patterns — back pain, hip pain, and knee pain all at once — this comprehensive evaluation approach identifies the mechanical hierarchy and treats the root cause first.
Many patients with hip osteoarthritis are told they need a hip replacement. While severe OA eventually requires surgical management, many patients in the mild to moderate range can significantly reduce pain and improve function with chiropractic care — delaying surgery by years or avoiding it entirely. Dr. Kelch will give you an honest assessment of where you stand.
"I had hip bursitis so bad I couldn't sleep on my left side. Three cortisone shots hadn't fixed it. Dr. Kelch figured out it was my IT band and hip mechanics causing it. Five treatments later and I'm sleeping fine."
— Sandra L., Washington ★★★★★
Normally $250 — new patients only
Book Your $49 ExamSame-day appointments available · $49 new patient special · Most insurance accepted
CCEP-certified hip joint adjustment — treating the actual source of your hip pain, not just the structures around it.
Learn More →Piriformis syndrome and SI joint dysfunction are hip-region conditions that commonly produce sciatic nerve symptoms down the leg.
Learn More →Hip restriction and weakness are among the most common drivers of knee pain — treating the hip often resolves the knee.
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