Hip pain is a common complaint and can be caused by a variety of causes. Treatment of hip pain must be directed at the specific cause of your problem. Hip pain can vary from having difficulty lying on your side, difficulty putting shoes and socks on, and limiting your ability to walk. Hip pain does not have to be limited into the joint, but can radiate in the thigh, groin and buttock.

“Walking can help prevent hip fractures by building bone and muscle tone and improving balance.”
CDiane Feskanich, Sc.D., Harvard Medical School

If you have hip pain, some common causes include:

Arthritis: Osteoarthritis is among the most common causes of hip pain, especially in the older adults. People with arthritis may feel stiffness, especially first thing in the morning or after sitting for a period of time. If not treated this pain could gradually get worse resulting in more limitations in mobility.

Bursitis: The bursae is a small, fluid-filled sacs that protect the tendons and muscles. Sometimes the bursae will become inflamed due to repetitive activities, causing the hip joint to become irritated and painful.

Muscle, tendon and ligament strain: Strain in these areas can be caused due to repetitive stress from overuse. When these structures become inflamed it can cause hip pain and limit the hip from functioning normal. When the tendon becomes inflamed this is called Tendonitis.

Labral tear: The labrum is the outside rim of the socket of the hip and helps hold the head of the femur in place. Labral tears can be the result of sports injuries and structural abnormalities of the hip. In addition to hip pain there can be a sensation of “catching” with hip movement.

Groin strain: A groin strain results from stressing the muscles in the groin and inner thigh. This is common in people who play sports that require a lot of sudden jumping or changing directions, such as soccer and football. Usually one will feel a popping or snapping feel in this area followed by severe pain. There will be pain and tenderness in the groin and inner thigh, when bringing your legs together and flexing your hip.

Stress fracture: A stress fracture is a break in the bone that occurs when multiple small injuries to the bone accumulate due to overuse. This caused pain in the groin or in front of the hip and is worse with the activity, such as running or high impact activities, then goes away with rest.  If left untreated it can lead to severe damage to the hip joint.

Referred from the lower back: Hip pain can be referred from a lower back problem because the brain cannot always determine the actual source of pain. Even though the pain is felt in the hip or leg and not in the back, the problem can actually be in the lumbar spine or sacroiliac (SI) joint.

Hip pain can be confusing since there are so many possible causes of pain. That is why it is so important to get a complete evaluation from your physical therapist to make an accurate diagnosis and come up with the appropriate treatment.

At N-Balance Physical Therapy our philosophy is to assess the body as a whole functional unit leading to the right treatment plan. Hip pain can be managed through the right mix of manual therapy and exercise.