Your hips have an enormous job to do daily. They supply mobility and stability, supporting the burden of the body. But when one or each hips hurt, the pain could make it difficult to do your every day activities and the stuff you love most, corresponding to mountaineering or gardening.
So a very powerful query you’ll be able to ask yourself may be: What’s causing my hip pain and what can I do about it?
Because your hips get loads of work done every day, you might just feel a bit sore – especially in case you’ve been more lively recently. But depending on the situation of the pain and the symptoms present, the pain could also be attributable to one other condition.
Read on to learn more about different symptoms of hip pain, common hip pain conditions, risk aspects, when to seek advice from your doctor, and more.
Common symptoms of hip problems
Hip pain is different for everybody, but probably the most common symptoms of hip pain include:
- Joint pain
- Joint stiffness
- Weak muscles
- Decreased range of motion
- Changes in the best way you walk (gait changes)
- Cracking, squeaking or popping noises when walking, bending or sitting
- A “catching” feeling or pain within the groin
- Pain that spreads or radiates from the groin to the front or side of the thigh or buttock
Common causes of hip pain
The very best strategy to determine the cause of your hip pain is to seek advice from an orthopedic specialist. But below are some of probably the most common causes of hip pain.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint
As we age, so do our joints. And these normal age-related changes can result in osteoarthritis, which is probably the most common type of arthritis in adults. This happens when the cartilage that cushions your bones and joints starts to deteriorate, which might result in pain.
Hip pain attributable to osteoarthritis is commonly felt within the groin area, but can be felt within the outer thigh or upper buttock.
The excellent news is that osteoarthritis pain can often be managed by staying lively, maintaining a healthy weight, and selecting a special healthy lifestyle. Along with a healthy lifestyle, physical therapy might be an incredible strategy to relieve hip pain and improve mobility issues.
You do not normally need a referral for physiotherapy, however it’s an excellent idea to seek advice from your insurance company to grasp your coverage before making an appointment.
Steroid injections or orthobiology medications (also called regenerative medicine) might also be advisable. But hip substitute – which is incredibly common – could also be advisable in the longer term.
Other types of arthritis that may cause hip pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis – Rheumatoid arthritis (or just RA) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Which means it occurs when the immune system attacks healthy body tissue. RA can result in fatigue, mild fever and pain within the joints, including the hips.
- Psoriatic arthritis Often related to psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis can result in swollen fingers, scaly patches of skin, and fatigue. Psoriatic arthritis may cause joint pain that might be felt within the hips.
Bursitis
There are small, fluid-filled sacs throughout your body that help cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles near your joints. They’re called bursae, and once they grow to be inflamed, the condition is referred to as bursitis.
While trauma, trauma, and conditions corresponding to RA or gout may cause bursitis, probably the most common cause of bursitis is repetitive movements or positions that put pressure on the bursa.
So, those that have jobs or hobbies that require repetitive hip flexion movements, corresponding to laying floors, painting, or gardening, are at higher risk of bursitis. The excellent news is that bursitis normally goes away by itself inside just a few weeks in case you rest the affected joint. But when you have got a history of bursitis, flare-ups might be common.
Hip injuries
From sprains and strains, to tears and fractures, there are a number of hip injuries that may cause differing kinds of hip pain.
Hip sprain or hip strain
Sprains involve ligaments. Muscle tensions. But each occur when a ligament or muscle has been stretched beyond its limits. Athletes are particularly vulnerable to sprains and strains, but anyone can sustain this kind of acute injury in the event that they suddenly increase activity or overstretch. Symptoms of a hip sprain or strain often include:
- Sudden sharp pain within the hip
- Pain that worsens with activity
- Swelling, stiffness, tenderness or bruising on the hip
Inflammation of the hip tendon
Tendinitis is one other overuse injury. While it could be especially common amongst athletes, it may possibly affect anyone. Typically, symptoms of hip tendonitis may include:
- Tenderness within the front of the hip, groin or pelvis
- You could also feel pain within the front, side or towards the buttock
- Hip stiffness within the morning or after an extended period of rest
- Pain that decreases while you move more or warm as much as activity, but returns later within the day
Rupture of the iliac labrum
The cartilage on the periphery of the hip joint is named the labrum. It cushions the joint and acts as a sort of seal to maintain the highest of the femur within the hip socket. When this cartilage is torn (a labral tear), you might not have any symptoms. But for many who do, a hip tear may cause:
- Pain within the hip or groin that is commonly worse during long periods of standing, sitting, or activity
- Hip stiffness or limited range of motion
- A locking, clicking, or grabbing sensation when moving your hip
Hip stress rupture
Stress fractures are sometimes related to repetitive “weight-bearing” activities, corresponding to running the hips and legs. The excellent news is that hip fractures often don’t require surgery – though some can. X-rays and MRI can assist with a final diagnosis and next steps in treatment.
Hip fracture (broken hip)
A hip fracture is a really serious injury that requires immediate medical attention and almost all the time requires surgery to repair or replace the hip joint. The danger of hip fracture increases with age, especially in individuals with osteoporosis. Symptoms of a hip fracture include:
- Inability to rise up after a fall
- Severe hip or groin pain
- Inability to bear weight on the leg with a damaged hip
- Bruising or swelling of the hip
- The leg with the damaged hip appears shorter or turned outwards
When you are concerned that you just or a loved one has a hip fracture, call 911.
A pinched nerve
Your body accommodates miles of nerves, and just a few near your spine can result in hip pain and other symptoms if pinched. Pinched nerves can occur for a lot of reasons, corresponding to changes within the spine because of aging, repetitive movements, overuse, and more.
As with other common causes of hip pain, a pinched nerve may cause sharp, burning, or painful pain within the hip or groin area. But sometimes it may possibly spread to the lower back, buttocks, and leg. Other symptoms of a pinched nerve near the hip include:
- Tingling or numbness within the hips and legs
- Weakness or limited mobility within the hip and leg
Sciatica
Sciatica is characterised by pain within the lower back, buttocks, hips and legs. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerves or the associated nerve root are irritated. The sciatic nerves form from nerve roots within the lower back after which go through the hips and buttocks.
Symptoms of sciatica pain are frequently not localized to at least one area. Most individuals experience pain within the lower back, in addition to within the hip, buttock and leg – and leg pain might be the worst.
Risk aspects for hip pain
There are lots of aspects that contribute to your risk of developing hip pain, including age, gender, physical condition, and a history of hip injury.
You could be at higher risk of hip pain if:
- Chubby: Chubby people could also be at higher risk of hip pain because carrying extra weight tends to place more pressure on the hips.
- Physically lively: Intense activity, especially without adequate warm-up and rest periods, can result in hip pain.
- Inactive: Physical inactivity can result in muscle weakness, which might increase your risk of hip pain.
- Susceptibility to hip injuries: Individuals with a history of hip injuries usually tend to experience hip pain, even after recovering from a previous injury.
- Coping with a medical condition: Certain medical conditions, corresponding to hip instability, hip dysplasia, and arthritis, can increase your risk of developing hip pain.
It is important to keep in mind that you might experience hip pain even when none of these aspects apply to you.
Hip pain may go away by itself with rest. But in case your hip pain persists, it’s best to seek advice from an orthopedic specialist. A mix of therapies could also be advisable to alleviate hip pain and treat its underlying cause.
Common treatments for hip pain include:
- Physical activity “The very best medicine for any pain is prevention. When you are vulnerable to hip pain, taking a proactive approach to hip health can assist prevent problems. Exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and prevention can assist reduce the chance or severity of hip pain.
- Over-the-counter drug – For less severe hip pain, over-the-counter painkillers or topical ointments may help. Over-the-counter medications should only be used temporarily. In case your hip pain persists, it could be time for one more treatment option.
- physical therapy As we mentioned earlier, along with home remedies, physical therapy might be an incredible first step in relieving hip pain. That is because movement is essential to keeping our joints healthy. And dealing with a trained physical therapist can enable you find the very best exercises or stretching exercises to assist heal your pain and improve your mobility.
- injections – Steroid injections can assist provide prolonged relief from hip pain.
- Surgery While hip substitute surgery is incredibly common in older adults in america, it’s always advisable when other non-surgical treatment options have lost their effectiveness and you’ll be able to’t do certain every day activities because of the pain. An orthopedic specialist can enable you determine if a hip substitute is the very best option for you.
When should I seek advice from my doctor about my hip pain?
At any time when you’re feeling pain, don’t ignore it. In case your pain comes on suddenly after an injury or your symptoms appear to be getting worse, make an appointment with a hip specialist or find a neighborhood urgent orthopedic care near you.
When you’ve been using home remedies for nagging hip pain however it hasn’t improved, making an appointment with a physical therapist is an incredible first step. They’re experts in treating each acute and chronic hip pain.
Your physical therapist can work with you to create a customized treatment plan based in your unique must enable you get back to your favorite activities.