Hip Pain

Hip pain is a very common issue and is caused by a plethora of problems. Identifying the precise location of your hip pain can provide important clues about the cause behind the pain.

When you experience pain on the inside of your hip of groin, the problem is typically within the hip joint itself. However, pain on the outside of your hip, upper thigh or out buttock is usually a sign of a problem with the muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround the hip joint.

Occasionally, hip pain can be caused by conditions and diseases that occur in other parts of the body and is usually called referred pain. The majority of hip pain can be helped with at home self-care.

Problems can cause hip pain:

  • Arthritis:
    • Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Psoriatic Arthritis
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Septic Arthritis
  • Injuries:
    • Bursitis
    • Dislocation
    • Hip Fracture
    • Hip Labral Tear
    • Inguinal Hernia
    • Sprains and Strains
    • Tendinitis

 

  • Pinched Nerves:
    • Heniated Disk
    • Meralgia Paresthetica
    • Sacroliitis
    • Sciatica
    • Spinal Stenosis

 

  • Cancer:
    • Advanced (metastatic) cancer that has spread to the bones
    • Bone Cancer
    • Leukemia

 

  • Other Problems:
    • Avascular Necrosis
    • Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Rickets

If the hip pain is minor, you may not need to see your doctor.

Self-Care Tips:

  • Gentle Exercise
  • Wight Loss
  • Rest
  • Ice or Heat

You might want to make an appointment with your doctor if the self-care tips don’t help.

Seek immediate medical attention if:

  • A joint spears deformed
  • You are unable to move your leg or hip
  • You cannot bear weight on the affected leg
  • You are experiencing intense pain or sudden swelling

Mayo Clinic (2014). Hip Pain. http://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hip-pain/basics/definition/sym-20050684