Hip Pain

Hip pain

Hip pain is a common complaint in our clinic that can be caused by a wide variety of problems. The precise location of your hip pain can provide valuable clues about the underlying cause.

• Problems within the hip joint itself tend to result in pain on the inside of your hip or your groin.
• Hip pain on the outside of your hip, upper thigh or outer buttock is usually caused by problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround your hip joint.
• Hip pain can sometimes be caused by diseases and conditions in other areas of your body, such as your lower back. This type of pain is called referred pain. Below are some common causes of hip pain.

Common Hip injuries

Bursitis (joint inflammation)

Hip fracture 

Hip labral tear: A hip labral tear involves the ring of cartilage (labrum) that follows the outside rim of your hip joint socket. Athletes who participate in sports such as ice hockey, football, golf and ballet are at higher risk of developing hip labral tears. Abnormal bone structures in the hip can also lead to labral tears.

Inguinal hernia:  An inguinal hernia occurs when tissue protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles. This results in a bulge that can be painful especially when you cough, bend over or lift a heavy object. Surprisingly though, many hernias don’t actually cause pain.

Sprains (hip ligaments) and Strains (muscles – especially the hamstrings and quadriceps): These are caused by the stretching or tearing of ligaments — the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect two bones together in your joints. 

Tendinitis:  (inflammation of tendons around the hip joint): Tendinitis is the inflammation or irritation of a tendon. The condition causes pain and tenderness just outside a joint.

Arthritis

• Osteoarthritis (disease causing the breakdown of joints)
• Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory joint disease)
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis)
• Septic arthritis (infection – characterised by fever and can be life threatening)

Sacroiliitis: It is an inflammation of one or both of your sacroiliac joints which are located where your lower spine and pelvis join. Sacroiliitis can cause pain in your glutes (buttocks) or lower back, and can extend down one or both legs, groin and even the feet. Sacroiliitis can be hard to diagnose because it can be mistaken for other causes of low back pain. It’s been associated to a group of diseases that cause inflammatory arthritis of the spine. Treatment might involve physical therapy and medications.  

Synovitis: also called synovial inflammation is when synovial joint membrane becomes inflamed. It is characterised by joint pain, swelling, and stiffness that is worse in the morning