HIP PAIN 101 

Why Does My Hip Hurt?

There are many different reasons for hip pain, and the answer can oftentimes be found in where your pain is occurring.  

If the culprit is the hip joint, then you’ll most likely feel pain on the inside of your hip or in the groin area. If the problem is more muscular, or the result of damage or irritation of tissues like tendons and ligaments, then you’re more likely to feel it on the outside of your hip.

Lastly, there is something called referred pain, which means that even though the pain is in your hip, the actual cause is coming from another location of the body, like your back.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

• Arthritis: People with arthritis also feel stiffness and have reduced range of motion in the hip.  

• Hip fractures and dislocation
• Bursitis: A bursa is a sac that holds a small amount of fluid that’s under the skin above your joint. The bursa is there to ease friction and to keep the joint moving smoothly. When the bursa is injured or begins to wear out from overuse, it can lead to pain and swelling.
• Tendinitis: Tendons are the thick bands of tissue that attach bones to muscles. Tendinitis is inflammation or irritation of the tendons. It's usually caused by repetitive stress from overuse.  
• Muscle or tendon strain: Overexertion can result in pain and put strain on the muscles, tendons and ligaments that support the hips.
• Hip labral tear: The labrum is a ring of tissue that cushions the socket of your hip joint. Twisting movements when repeated over time can cause the labrum to tear.
• Cancer: Tumors that start in the bone or that spread to the bone can cause pain in the hips.

Preventing Hip Pain

Keeping your hips healthy and preventing pain is largely a matter of keeping your weight down to ease stress and pressure, exercising, and maintaining a diet to prevent bone loss.   

• If you have arthritis in your hips or pain from overuse, consider low impact aerobics that combine stretching with movements that don’t generate a lot of force on your hips. Consult your physician for a suitable exercise program.
• If you’re hurt, give yourself time to heal. Treat the minor injuries before they become major ones. 
• Avoid sitting for long periods of time. If you have to sit because you work at a desk, take frequent breaks to stand or stretch.
• When exercising, wear shoes that fit and avoid hard surfaces as much as possible.  
• Maintain a healthy weight because the more you weigh, the more pressure on your hips and joints.
• Give yourself plenty of recovery time. Regardless of your age, your body needs time to recover. 

Diagnosing Hip Problems

An orthopedic specialist can identify many hip-related problems with a physical exam but may enlist the help of technology to confirm a diagnosis. A patient with hip pain might be asked to undergo one or more of the following diagnostic procedures:

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
• X-ray
• CT scan   
• Arthroscopy 
• Specialized bone scan

Treating Hip Pain

Treatment for hip pain depends on the cause.

• If the hip injury is mild, it will often improve with rest.  
• Ice packs to reduce inflammation to muscles, tendons, and bursa sacs can also help, as well as anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
• If you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis in your hip, your doctor may prescribe a combination of medication and physical therapy.
• If you have a more severe injury, like a tendon or labrum tear, surgery might be necessary to repair the hip. The good news is that many injuries can be repaired with minimally invasive surgery techniques, which can cause less pain and allow for faster healing than traditional or open surgery procedures. 
• In cases where the hip has degenerated and the pain is significant, hip replacement surgery might be an option. The hospitals of UMass Memorial Health offer orthopedic surgeons who specialize in total joint replacement of the hip, knee and shoulder at all our campuses.