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• Pain in the hip joint can be temporary or chronic.
• There are many causes of hip pain.
• The treatment of hip pain depends on its particular cause.
The hip joint is where the ball of the thigh bone (femur) joins the pelvis at a socket called the acetabulum. There is cartilage covering both the femur’s bone and the acetabulum of the pelvis in the hip joint. A joint lining tissue, called synovium, surrounds the hip joint. The synovium tissue produces fluid that lubricates the joint and provides nutrients to the cartilage of the joint. The ligaments around the hip joint attach the femur bone to the bony pelvis. Some several muscles and tendons glide around the hip joint. Tiny fluid-filled sacs, called bursae, provide gliding surfaces for muscles and tendons around the hip joint. Major arteries and veins pass the front of the hip joint. The largest nerve of the body, the sciatic nerve, passes behind the hip joint.
The hip joint is one of the body’s large joints and serves in locomotion as the thigh moves forward and backward. The hip joint also rotates when sitting and with changes of direction when walking.
Pain in the hip can result from several factors. Sometimes, diseases that affect other joints in the body, such as the inflammation resulting from arthritis, can cause pain in the hip. Depending upon the cause of hip pain, the pain may occur when walking, running, or engaging in inactivity. Trochanteric bursitis is the most common type of hip bursitis and causes pain at the point of the hip.
There are many causes of hip joint pain. Some hip pain is temporary, while other hip pain can be long-standing or chronic. Causes of hip pain include arthritis, inflammatory and noninflammatory arthritis, fracture, sprain, infectious arthritis (septic arthritis), avascular necrosis, Gaucher’s disease, sciatica, muscle strain, iliotibial band syndrome (IT band syndrome), and hematoma.
Symptoms associated with hip pain depend on the cause. Symptoms include
• limping,
• joint pain,
• groin pain,
• loss of motion of the hip,
• warmth,
• swelling over the hip,
• tenderness of the hip,
• difficulty sleeping on the hip.
Symptoms vary in intensity from mild to severe. Hip pain can be a cause of disability.
Health care professionals diagnose hip pain with a history and physical examination. Physical examination maneuvers, such as internally and externally rotating the hip, can be used to detect pain-aggravating positions. Tenderness can be elicited by palpating over inflamed areas. Straight leg raising can detect signs of sciatica. A health care professional may use imaging studies, including X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans, to further define the causes of hip pain. Sometimes, nuclear medicine bone scans are used to image inflamed or fractured bone.
The treatment of hip pain depends on the precise cause of the pain. Treatments can include rest, non-weight-bearing, cold application, and anti-inflammatory medications. For local inflammation, sometimes an injection of cortisone medication (steroids) is used to quiet the inflammation. If the infection is present, antibiotics are used. Fractures can require treatment with surgical repairs, including pinning, plates and screws, and total joint replacement. For severe arthritis, total joint replacement is performed when possible.
By reading this website, you acknowledge that you are responsible for your own health decisions. The information throughout this medical website is not intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided is intended for general information regarding Pain Management symptoms and services.
If you are interested in finding out more, avoid worrisome self-diagnosis, please contact our Pain Management specialist for a personal consultation. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.
