Hip Pain
Hip pain is described as any pain in or around the hip joint. Pain in your thigh, knee or groin also can be present. Sometimes, the pain you feel in your hip can sometimes be the result of back, not hip, problems. Hip pain can make it difficult to walk, climb stairs, squat or rest on the affected side
What Causes Hip Pain?
There are many causes of hip pain, which is why you should not try to treat it yourself. You need a thorough assessment from an orthopedic physician. Hip pain can be the result of:
- Hip fracture or dislocation
- Iiliotibial band syndrome: The thickening of tissue outside the thigh, extending from hip to knee
- Diseases such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia or lupus
- Bursitis (inflammation of the sac located between bone, muscle and tendon) or tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon)
- Joint infection: Septic arthritis, septic bursitis or osteomyelitis
- Lack of blood flow to the hip joint
- Sciatica (pinched nerve)
What Are the Symptoms of Hip Pain?
Chronic hip pain:
- Remains the same whether resting, standing or in motion does not increase with motion or standing
- Increases when you move your hip but does not increase when you stand still
- Increases when you stand or walk, causing you to limp
- Prevents any weight-bearing
When to Seek Treatment
See your physician if an infection develops, or if symptoms do not improve or become worse with one week of home treatment. Call for emergency care immediately if:
- Your hip pain is caused by a fall or other injury
- You have sudden severe pain that prevents you from standing or moving your hip
- There was a popping sound at the time of injury
- There is blood or exposed bone
- There is numbness or tingling in the buttocks, genital area or legs.
- Your hip or leg has turned pale, white, blue or cold
How Is Hip Pain Evaluated?
Keep a pain diary of your symptoms to show your physicians. Write down:
- The day, time and duration of pain
- Pain location
- Pain intensity, rating it from one to ten, with ten being excruciating
- What you were doing before or during the pain onset
- If you have hip pain when you walk, how far can you walk without discomfort? Does the pain change for better or worse as you continue to walk?
- Physical activities that you participate in. (Have you started something new?)
- Medications you take regularly
Your physician will perform a physical examination, specifically of your hips, thighs, back and walking gait, and possibly order x-rays.
How Is Hip Pain Treated?
If it is not an emergency situation, try home care first:
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), as directed
- Stay off your feet as much as possible
- Ice your hip for 20 minutes a few times each day for the first few days after injury. (Do not put ice directly on skin; wrap in a towel)
- Once swelling subsides, apply moist heat packs (hot water bottle, warm towel)
- Sleep on your unaffected side with a pillow between your knees
- Massage your hip to stimulate blood flow to the affected area
- Try gentle exercises such as pelvic tilts, hamstring stretches, buttocks squeeze and hip flexor stretches
If these measures don't work, your doctor may prescribe stronger anti-inflammatory medications or recommend physical therapy. In severe cases, surgical repair or hip replacement may be recommended.
If pain is due to disease or fracture, your physician will create a health plan tailored to your specific health needs.
If it is decided that the hip bone is irreparably damaged, your physician will discuss a joint replacement or arthroplasty. Total hip arthroplasty replaces the femoral head and the acetabular articular surface, and a hemiarthroplasty replaces only the femoral head.
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