Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewInner Hip PainSide Hip PainOutside Hip PainWhen to Get HelpDiagnosisTreatmentNext in Home Office Ergonomics GuideExercises to Keep Your Hips Strong and Mobile
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Overview
Inner Hip Pain
Side Hip Pain
Outside Hip Pain
When to Get Help
Diagnosis
Treatment
Next in Home Office Ergonomics Guide
Hip pain causes include serious problems like a fracture or joint infection and less serious causes like bursitis.
Hip pain is a common symptom that can be described as aching, sharp, orburning. It can range in intensity from mild to severe. Your healthcare provider can diagnose the cause and help to plan your treatment.
Verywell / Alexandra Gordon
Note: Hip pain in children is assessed differently than in adults. This article focuses on hip pain in adults.
What Is Hip Pain?
The hip is a large “ball-and-socket” joint. The “socket” is a bone in your pelvis called theacetabulumand the “ball” is the head of your femur.
Problems with any of these structures can contribute to hip pain.
There are common patterns of hip pain. The location of your hip pain—anterior, lateral, or posterior—and how the pain feels can help your healthcare provider pinpoint the problem.
Hip pain is common in pregnancy. That’s because of the many changes taking place in the body, such as changes in your muscles and bones. One study found that pain is most common during the third trimester.
Causes
Many conditions can cause pain in your hip. Some of these can happen after a sudden injury, while others may occur due to overuse. Medical conditions such as infection or cancer can also cause hip pain.
Anterior hip pain affects the inside of your hip and groin area.
What Does Hip Bursitis Feel Like?There are a few types of hip bursitis. Iliopsoas bursitis causes pain in the front of the hip that spreads down the front of the thighs or toward the buttocks. Outer hip pain passing down along the thigh and knee may be trochanteric bursitis.
What Does Hip Bursitis Feel Like?
There are a few types of hip bursitis. Iliopsoas bursitis causes pain in the front of the hip that spreads down the front of the thighs or toward the buttocks. Outer hip pain passing down along the thigh and knee may be trochanteric bursitis.
Lateral hip pain refers to pain on the side of the hip.
Posterior hip pain affects the outside of the hip or buttock area, usually due to a problem with the muscles, tendons, or ligaments that surround the hip joint, rather than the actual joint itself.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Seek immediate medical care if:
Mild hip pain that lasts longer than six weeks should also be evaluated.
Medical History
A healthcare provider will ask you questions about your pain.
Questions may include:
Physical Exam
Your healthcare provider will view and press on a few “landmark” sites within your hip, leg, lower back, and abdomen.They may also perform aneurological examto assess muscle weakness and reflexes.
It’s likely they will move your hip around to evaluate itsrange of motion, look at the way you walk (your gait), and check your overall posture and ability to bear weight.
They may also perform more specific tests, such as the FABER test,straight leg test, leg roll test, or Trendelenburg test.
FABER Test
The FABER test (which stands for flexion,abduction, and external rotation) is used to diagnose some hip problems, such as hip osteoarthritis or hip labrum tear.
You’ll be lying flat on your back for this test while the provider flexes your leg and then puts your ankle from the same side as the affected hip just above the kneecap on the opposite leg. They’ll press down on the knee from the affected side in order to lower the leg.
The test is positive if pain occurs at the hip joint, or if the knee and leg from the affected side cannot be lowered into a parallel position with the opposite leg.
Imaging
Imaging tests may be needed to confirm or support a diagnosis for your hip pain.
Blood or Other Tests
Blood tests may be ordered in some specific circumstances. For instance, your healthcare provider will likely order a white blood cell count, blood cultures, and a test for inflammatory markers in the blood if an infected joint is suspected.
A hip aspiration, which uses a needle to removesynovialfluidfrom the hip joint, is usually taken to both diagnose and treat septic arthritis.
Differential Diagnoses
Some conditions that don’t involve the hip can cause hip pain and may be considered during an evaluation of hip pain.
The treatment of hip pain depends on the diagnosis. Common elements of a treatment plan include self-care, medication, physical therapy, and surgery.
Self-Care Strategies
Your healthcare provider may recommend a number of self-care strategies, such as:
Medications
Medications, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), are used to ease hip pain related to osteoarthritis and femoroacetabular impingement.
Opioids, which are stronger drugs for pain, may be needed to treat pain from a hip fracture or an infected hip joint.
Other drugs may be needed, depending on your diagnosis. Adisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD)can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Intravenous (IV) antibiotics can be used to treat an infected joint.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a cornerstone of the treatment for many causes of hip pain. It is meant to improve strength, flexibility, and mobility in your hip.
A physical therapist may use massage, ultrasound, heat, and ice to soothe inflammation. They may also offer guidance on returning to sports or other activities.
Surgery
Surgery may be required for the treatment of a hip fracture. Sometimes worsening osteoarthritis may be treated with a totalhip replacement. A hip arthroscopy may be used to repair a torn hip labrum.
Prevention
You may not be able to prevent all causes of hip pain, but there are several things you can do to be proactive about it:
Summary
Hip pain is usually described in terms of a location: anterior (front), lateral (side), or posterior (back). The site may help point to the cause.
Common causes include muscle strain or osteoarthritis, and less common reasons may specifically affect athletes or dancers, such as the snapping hip syndrome. Your healthcare provider will need to diagnose the condition to ensure the right treatment.
See a healthcare provider promptly if your hip pain is severe, comes on suddenly, or is associated with other symptoms, like a fever or swelling.
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