Hip pain

Hip pain can make daily life difficult, as even walking around may become uncomfortable. At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, we can help you better understand the cause of your hip pain and choose the best path toward managing it or eliminating it entirely.

What is hip pain?

Hip pain is discomfort or aching in the joint that allows you to bend your legs and rotate your pelvis.

What causes hip pain?

Osteoarthritis of the hip, the most common type of arthritis affecting this joint, is usually a byproduct of the aging process. Rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis can also affect the hip joint. Regardless of the type of arthritis, the hip joint becomes worn which creates inflammation, pain and lack of mobility.

Hip pain may also be caused by injury or medical conditions. Common causes include:

• Broken thighbone
• Dysplasia, or dislocation, of the hip
• Femoroacetabular impingement
• Hamstring muscle injuries
• Hip bursitis
• Hip fractures
• Inflammatory arthritis of the hip
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteonecrosis of the hip
• Pediatric thighbone fracture
• Perthes disease
• Snapping hip
• Infection
• Tendinitis

What are the symptoms of hip pain?

Hip pain may present itself in different ways, including stiffness, swelling, reduced range of motion, limping, and clicking or popping when you move.

What are the different types of hip pain?

Hip pain can be traced to the joint, muscles and tendons, or surrounding areas.

• Hip joint pain can be linked to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, labral tears, hip impingement or avascular necrosis.
• Muscle and tendon pain can be the result of muscle strain, tendinitis or hip flexor pain.
• Hip pain from surrounding areas can be due to bursitis, referred pain, sacroiliac joint pain or sciatica.

How is hip pain diagnosed?

If you have hip pain, your doctor will do a physical exam and consider your medical history. They might send you for imaging tests such as an X-ray, MRI, ultrasound or CT scan. They also might order blood tests to diagnose possible infections and joint aspiration, which removes fluid from the joint for examination.

What are the treatments for hip pain?

Treatment for hip pain may involve physical therapy, functional training and aquatic therapy. These treatments are intended to increase strength and help your hip move more easily.

Other treatments include:

• Heating pads or ice packs
• Over-the-counter pain relievers
• Lifestyle changes such as weight loss, modifying activities that cause pain and using walking aids
• Corticosteroid injections to reduce swelling
• Hyaluronic acid injections to lubricate the joint and improve mobility

Once medication and nonoperative therapies have been exhausted, hip replacement surgery may be an option.