Hip Pain: Common Causes, Home Care and When to Be Seen

What it involves

MedlinePlus defines hip pain as any pain in or around the hip joint. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint, where the ball at the top of the thigh bone fits into a socket in the pelvis. MedlinePlus says you may not feel the pain directly over the hip, and may feel it in the groin, thigh, or knee instead.

Who this is for

• Adults with hip, groin, or thigh pain that has lasted more than a week of home care
• Patients who have started to limp or have trouble with stairs
• Patients with arthritis or a past hip injury whose pain is changing
• Patients who want to know whether pain in the hip really comes from the back

What to expect

• Questions about where you feel the pain, when it began, and what makes it better or worse
• A physical exam that includes your hips, thighs, back, and the way you walk
• A plain explanation of the likely cause and what you can do at home
• A plan that may include medicine, activity changes, or a referral for imaging

Where hip pain is actually felt

MedlinePlus says pain from the hip joint itself is often felt most in the groin, and arthritis in the hip is often felt in the front part of the thigh or groin. It also says that pain you feel in the hip may reflect a problem in your back rather than in the hip. That is why a provider checks both areas, and why the low back pain evaluation is worth reading alongside this one. Pain that starts in the buttock and runs down the back of the thigh may come from the sciatic nerve instead of the hip joint, a pattern explained in the sciatica guide.

Problems in the bone or joint

MedlinePlus lists these causes inside the hip:

• Hip fractures, which cause sudden, acute pain and are more common in older people because bones can be weaker
• Infection in the bones or joints
• Osteonecrosis, when part of the hip bone loses its blood supply
• Arthritis, and a labral tear of the hip
• Femoroacetabular impingement, abnormal growth around the hip that can cause pain with movement

Problems in the tissue around the hip

MedlinePlus says pain in or around the hip may also come from bursitis, which hurts when getting up from a chair, walking, climbing stairs, and driving. Other causes it names are a hamstring strain, a hip flexor strain, a groin strain, iliotibial band syndrome, hip impingement syndrome, and snapping hip syndrome.

Hip pain, weak bones, and age

The MedlinePlus hip health topic says osteoarthritis can cause pain and limited motion in the hip, and osteoporosis of the hip causes weak bones that break easily. It notes both are common in older people. The bone density screening guide explains who is asked about screening and what a provider does with the result.

What you can try at home

MedlinePlus suggests avoiding activities that make the pain worse and taking over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen. It advises sleeping on the side without pain with a pillow between your legs, avoiding long periods of standing, and wearing flat, cushioned shoes. It also says to lose weight if you are overweight, and the obesity and BMI guide explains how weight is measured. For overuse, it suggests warming up before exercise and trying swimming instead of running.

When to get help

MedlinePlus says to go to a hospital or get emergency help after a serious fall or injury, if the leg is deformed, badly bruised, or bleeding, if you cannot move the hip or bear any weight, or if worsening pain comes with trouble urinating or having a bowel movement. It says to contact your provider if:

• The hip is still painful after 1 week of home treatment
• You also have a fever or a rash
• You have sudden hip pain along with sickle cell anemia or long-term steroid use
• You have pain in both hips and other joints
• You start limping or have difficulty with stairs and walking

What a visit involves

MedlinePlus says your provider will ask where you feel the pain, when and how it started, what makes it worse, what you have tried, how well you can walk and bear weight, what other medical problems you have, and which medicines you take. You may need x-rays of the hip or an MRI scan, which would be arranged through a referral, and your provider may suggest a higher dose of over-the-counter medicine or a prescription anti-inflammatory. Serenity offers joint injections at the Loxahatchee and West Palm Beach offices, and whether one fits depends on the cause.

Sources

• MedlinePlus — Hip pain
• MedlinePlus — Hip Injuries and Disorders