10/23/2026
“It’s probably the hips.”
Does this sound familiar?
The dog hesitates on the stairs. Stops jumping into the car or on the couch. Develops a shortened stride behind. Starts struggling to get up after resting. Starts side sitting. Or simply doesn’t move quite like they used to.
And almost immediately, the hips get the blame.
Sometimes, that’s exactly where the problem is.
But sometimes, the problem isn’t in the hips at all.
Because there’s a whole lot happening just above them.
The pelvis.
The sacroiliac joints.
The lumbosacral junction.
The lumbar spine.
Dysfunction or disease involving these structures can contribute to movement changes that look remarkably similar to hip problems.
The pelvis, which I am motioning here, is often one of the most overlooked areas when evaluating the symptoms I first listed. In my clinical experience, restrictions in pelvic motion are frequently a contributing factor to the very mobility issues being blamed on the hips. Restriction in the pelvis can actually cause the hips to lose normal range of motion. There have been many times that I have adjusted the pelvis and then the hip range of motion opens up beautifully.
A shortened stride doesn’t automatically mean hip dysplasia.
Difficulty rising doesn’t automatically mean arthritis in the hips.
Reluctance to jump doesn’t automatically mean the hip joints are painful.
And hind end weakness isn’t always necessarily an orthopedic problem at all. (A lot of times that’s higher up in the spine, especially upper cervical.)
A hip problem, a pelvic biomechanical issue, and a neurological condition originating in the spine aren’t the same thing. And they shouldn’t automatically be approached the same way.
That’s why evaluating the entire animal matters. Not just the area where the symptoms appear. 🩷
