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Why Does My Hip Hurt? 12 Common Causes of Hip Pain

Everything You Need to Know About Hip Pain

Hip pain is the general term for pain felt in or around the hip joint. It isn’t always felt in the hip itself but may instead be felt in the groin or thigh.

Certain injuries or conditions can cause hip pain.

Inflamed tendons

The most common cause of acute hip pain is inflamed tendons, or tendonitis. This is often due to too much exercise. This condition can be very painful, but it usually heals within a few days.

Arthritis

The most common cause of long-term hip pain is arthritis. Arthritis can cause pain, stiff and tender joints, and difficulty walking. There are various types of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis (OA) can be the result of age-related wearing down of the cartilage that surrounds the joints.
Trauma to a joint, like a fracture, may cause traumatic arthritis like osteoarthritis.
Infectious arthritis is due to an infection in the joint causing the destruction of cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is due to the body’s immune system launching an attack on the joints. This type of arthritis may eventually destroy joint cartilage and bones.

Osteoarthritis is much more common than rheumatoid arthritis.

Trochanteric bursitis

Another possible cause of hip pain is trochanteric bursitis. This condition occurs when the bursa, which is a liquid-filled sac near the hip joint, becomes inflamed.

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A number of factors can cause trochanteric bursitis, including hip injury, overuse of the joints or posture problems.

Other conditions such as RA can also cause hip pain. This condition is much more common in women than in men.

Hip fractures

Hip fractures are common in older adults and in those who have osteoporosis, which is a weakening of the bones due to age or other factors.

Hip fractures cause very sudden, severe hip pain, and they require immediate medical attention. There are complications that can arise from a fractured hip, such as a blood clot in the leg.

A hip fracture usually requires surgery to be corrected. You’ll most likely need to have physical therapy to recover.

There are other, less common conditions that can cause hip pain. These include snapping hip syndrome and osteonecrosis, or avascular necrosis.

Snapping hip syndrome

Snapping hip syndrome, which most commonly occurs in dancers or athletes, is characterized by a snapping sound or feeling in the hip.

This snapping may occur when you’re walking or getting up out of a chair, for example. The condition is usually painless, but can cause pain in some cases.

Snapping hip with pain is usually a sign of cartilage tear or fragments of material in the hip.

Osteonecrosis

Osteonecrosis, or avascular necrosis, occurs when blood doesn’t reach the bones, either temporarily or permanently. This can lead to the loss of the supporting bone.

In this condition, the cartilage is normal initially but will eventually collapse as it progresses. Eventually, bones may break or crumple. It’s not always clear what causes osteonecrosis.

Joint injury, heavy use of steroid medications or alcohol, and cancer treatments may put you at greater risk for this condition. But in many cases, the cause is never determined.

Contact your doctor if you have hip pain that lasts longer than a few days. They can come up with a plan to manage pain and treat your condition.

However, you should contact your doctor immediately if the hip is bleeding or you can see exposed bone or muscle, a popping noise occurs, or you can’t bear weight.

Also, seek immediate help if your hip joint appears deformed or is swollen, or if you have severe pain.

Prompt medical attention is necessary for hip pain accompanied by any of the following:

These may be signs of serious conditions, including septic arthritis, which is a joint infection. If it’s left untreated, septic arthritis can lead to deformed joints and osteoarthritis.

For pain that could be related to a condition such as arthritis, your doctor will ask you a range of questions, including:

Is the pain worse at a time of day?
Does it affect your ability to walk?
When did your symptoms first appear?

You may need to walk around to let your doctor observe the joint in motion. They’ll measure the motion in the normal and abnormal hip and compare the two.

To diagnose arthritis, your doctor will perform fluid and imaging tests. Fluid tests involve taking samples of blood, urine, and joint fluid for testing in a laboratory. Imaging tests may include:

Imaging tests will provide your doctor with detailed views of your bones, cartilage, and other tissues.

The treatment of hip pain depends on the cause. For exercise-related pain, rest is usually enough to allow the hip to heal. This type of pain is typically gone within a few days.

If you have arthritis, your doctor will prescribe medications to relieve pain and stiffness.

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist who can offer further advice and a physical therapist who can show you how to do exercises to help keep the joint mobile.

For injuries, treatment typically involves bed rest and medications, such as naproxen (Aleve), to relieve swelling and pain.

Hip fractures, malformation of the hip, and some injuries may require surgical intervention to repair or replace the hip. In hip replacement surgery, a surgeon replaces the damaged hip joint with an artificial one.

Although hip replacement surgery will take some physical therapy to get used to the new joint, this is a common surgery that’s most often successful.

Alternative therapies

Some holistic therapies can provide relief from hip pain. Make sure you discuss treatment options with your doctor before undergoing any alternative treatment.

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Get the facts: Women and arthritis. (n.d.).
arthritis.org/New-York/-Files/Documents/Spotlight-on-Research/Get-the-Facts-Women-and-Arthritis.pdf
Hip replacement surgery. (n.d.).
hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/hip-replacement-surgery
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019). Arthritis.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/home/ovc-20168903
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018). Hip replacement.
mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hip-replacement-surgery/basics/definition/prc-20019151
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019). Osteoporosis.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/basics/definition/con-20019924
Musick SR, et al. (2019). Snapping hip syndrome.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448200/
Osteonecrosis. (2015).
niams.nih.gov/health_info/osteonecrosis/ – b

Why Does My Hip Hurt? 12 Common Causes of Hip Pain

If your hips are healthy, you probably don’t think about them very often. If you’re having hip pain, though, it may be the only thing on your mind. The hip is a large joint that helps support your body and all of its supporting structures, so this means there are plenty of causes of hip pain. Here’s what you need to know, and whether you should consider seeking treatment.

What are the First Signs of Hip Problems?

Because the hip joint is a connecting point for bones, muscles, ligaments, and other connective tissues, it may be difficult to tell whether your pain is stemming from your hip itself. Generally speaking, however, a problem that’s stemming from the hip will cause pain in the groin area or the inside of the hip.

Conversely, pain that affects the upper thigh, outer buttock muscles or the outside of the hip is more than likely a problem with a tendon, ligament, muscle, or other soft tissue that surrounds the hip rather than the joint itself. And, sometimes pain that feels like it’s due to hip issues is actually caused by injuries, diseases, or conditions in other parts of your body, including your lower back.

How Do I Know if My Hip Pain is Serious?

Hip pain can be uncomfortable, but how do you know whether it’s a “weekend warrior” injury that will subside in a few days or something more serious? One of the first signs that your hip problem might require medical attention is how long it lasts. If it’s longer than a few days without signs of improvement, it may be wise to see a doctor.

Signs that you should seek immediate medical help for a hip injury include:

Fever
Bleeding
Exposed bone or muscle
An area that’s warm to the touch
A popping sound
Inability to bear weight

It’s also important to seek help right away if you experience swelling, redness, warmth, tenderness, or soreness in the area of your hip joint because these could be signs of more serious conditions. Septic arthritis, for example, is a joint infection that can lead to deformities or osteoarthritis if not treated.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

If your hips are bothering you, here’s a list of some of the most common causes of hip pain, along with some less common causes.

1. Arthritis

Several different types of arthritis can affect the hip joint, but the most common is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis , also known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, indicates that the protective cartilage in the joint has degenerated to the point where bone rubs on bone. This type mainly affects those over 50, although those younger can experience it as well. Arthritis hip pain can keep someone from being as active as they would like, and can seriously impact well-being. Hip replacement may be recommended for osteoarthritis if other treatments don’t work.

2. Labral Tears

A labral tear is damage to the cartilage that surrounds the hip socket. Repetitive motions, a fall, or an accident can lead to labral tears, and they can also appear in early osteoarthritis. Often, sports like ice hockey, football, ballet, golf, and soccer can lead to hip labral tears. However, they can also be caused by abnormalities in the structure of the hip joint itself. Symptoms can include a locking or clicking sensation in your hip joint, stiffness, and pain that’s made worse by long periods of inactivity.

3. Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)

This condition occurs when one or both of the bones that form the hip joint grow an irregular shape. There are three types of impingements:

Pincer: When the bone growth extends over the edge of the acetabulum.
Cam: A bone growth on the edge of the femur that restricts movement of the ball joint.
Combined: When both pincer and cam growths are present.

When the labrum and femur do not fit correctly around the hip joint, it causes damage to the joint, pain, and limited mobility.

4. Bursitis

Fluid-filled sacs called bursae cushion and lubricate your joints. There is one that resides between the hard bone on the outside of each hip and the connecting tendon. If these bursae become inflamed and swollen, it’s known as trochanteric bursitis, and can be exquisitely painful, particularly when lying on the affected side, moving around a lot, or even simply walking around.

5. Osteonecrosis

This hip condition is a bit lesser-known, and occurs when cells of the hip bone start to die due to insufficient blood supply. Most often, osteonecrosis (also called avascular necrosis) happens as a result of excessive use of alcohol or corticosteroids. However, it can also be the result of hip dislocation or fracture.

Symptoms of osteonecrosis include pain in the thighs, buttocks, or knees, as well as hip and groin pain that gets worse with walking. It’s most common in the hip, although it can occur in other joints as well.

6. Hip Fractures

Hip fractures are significant injuries. They can vary in severity, but all hip fractures need immediate attention from an orthopedic specialist . These are often caused by severe trauma, but older people can experience a hip fracture with just a fall. They are severely painful and result in an immediate loss of mobility.

7. Tendonitis

Tendons attach muscles to bones and are found throughout the body. They are thick and strong because of the work they do every day, but can become irritated or inflamed. When tendons are injured or overused, the resulting pain is called tendinitis.

The tendons around the hips are especially strong, but they’re also especially subject to stress and strain due to the hip’s weight-bearing responsibilities. Especially with sports, repeated, stress-inducing activities can wear on your hip tendons. What might start as a mild strain due to overuse can eventually progress into an injury without treatment.

Tendonitis is often marked by pain in your hip flexor muscles, which are the muscles that allow you to raise your knee toward your body, and are connected to movement or even touch. It can be common in athletes, such as soccer or tennis players, and runners.

8. Hip Flexor Strain

A strain happens when a muscle or tendon — or both at the same time — gets stretched or torn. In the hip, the at-risk muscles are the hip flexors (the iliopsoas and rectus femoris muscles), which allow you to move your legs up and down. A hip strain refers to a stretching or tearing of a muscle or its associated tendon (or both).

Hip flexor strains commonly happen when the muscles are overused due to sports with repetitive motion, such as cycling or tennis, or from trauma, such as a direct hit. A hip flexor strain can cause swelling, weakness in the muscle, or restricted movement.

9. Snapping Hip Syndrome

The main symptom for this type of hip injury is exactly what it sounds like — a snapping sound or popping sensation in the hip joint. It can also be accompanied by side hip pain with walking, getting up from a chair, or other similar movements. The snap happens when soft tissue, such as tendons or muscles, move over a bony part of the hip joint.

One of the most commonly affected tissues in snapping hip syndrome is the iliotibial band, more commonly referred to as the IT band, which runs from the hip along the outside of the thigh. When the IT band passes over the upper thigh bone, it creates the snapping sound.

Like other hip injuries, snapping hip syndrome is common in athletes or others who engage in repetitive, stressful motion that causes them to bend at the hip. In fact, it’s also referred to as “dancer’s hip.”

10. Sciatica

Sciatica hip pain can be significant. The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back, through your hips and buttocks and down each leg, and generally affects only one side of your body. It’s caused by compression of the sciatic nerve from many potential factors, such as a bone spur on your spine, a herniated disk, or narrowing of the spine.

11. Inguinal Hernia

An inguinal hernia can cause pain in the front of the hip joint and happens when tissue (part of the intestine, for example) protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. It can happen as the result of a sports injury, or because of the extra pressure that women experience on their abdomens as the result of pregnancy.

Regardless of how they occur, hernias can be quite painful, especially if aggravated by a cough or lifting something heavy. One symptom is a bulge on either side of your pubic bone that’s easier to see when standing up. It can burn or ache at the site, or cause a heavy or dragging sensation in the groin.

Sometimes, hernias resolve on their own and are not dangerous. Others, however, can cause persistent pain, get larger, or cause severe complications. In these cases, surgery is often recommended.

12. Gynecological and Back Issues for Women

Especially for women , what feels like hip pain might actually stem from a problem with the pelvis. Gynecological issues, such as fibroids or endometriosis, can cause significant pain in the groin area during either ovulation or menstruation. Likewise, issues with the urinary or digestive systems — prostate cancer or gastroenteritis, for example — might also feel like an issue with the hip.

Finally, women might also feel issues stemming from the back or spine down around the hip and buttocks area. Sciatica is one common issue that usually causes pain on one side of the body, including the back side of the hip and even down the leg.

How is Hip Pain Diagnosed?

Doctors determine the source of hip pain using a number of different diagnostic techniques, from medical history to medical imaging. During a physical exam, your doctor may ask you to walk around to observe joint movement, measure it compared to your normal hip, or manipulate the hip joint using various range-of-motion techniques.

If sciatica is suspected, for example, a straight-leg raise might cause aggravation. If an infection is present, touching the affected area might cause pain. You may also encounter questions about your pain, including whether it’s affected by the time of day, position, activity, and when it first started to bother you.

Further diagnostics can include imaging tests, such as ultrasounds, MRI scans, CT scans or X-rays, blood bests, or examinations of joint fluid. Any combination of these tests can create a more thorough picture of your issue.

What are the Treatments for Hip Pain?

At-Home Remedies

Unless there’s an obvious fracture, dislocation, deformity, or other injury that requires surgery, doctors usually begin with conservative treatments. These can include suggestions about lifestyle changes, such as controlling your weight, getting regular exercise, and doing yoga or other stretching exercises. They may also advise at-home remedies, like ice, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, elevation, or rest.

If your hip pain increases with certain activities or positions, your doctor may recommend modifying the activity or stopping it altogether to manage and limit the pain . However, the course of treatment depends on the source of the pain.

Non-Surgical Treatments

In some cases, especially when inflammation is determined to be the cause of your pain, your doctor may be able to offer you a cortisone steroid injection. If an infection is present, you may be prescribed antibiotics.

Surgical Treatments

Treatment for hip pain depends on what’s causing it. At Alexander Orthopaedics, we offer several hip pain treatments that can help you feel better. One common procedure we offer is hip arthroscopy , which allows doctors to visualize your hip joint and make repairs without using a large incision. Fractures may necessitate surgical repair such pinning, plates, and screws. Both fractures and severe arthritis can require total joint replacement. Total hip replacement surgery removes an arthritic joint and replaces it with a hip prosthesis in order to regain motion and reduce pain.

Hip Pain: Causes and Treatment

The hip joint can withstand repeated motion and a fair amount of wear and tear. This ball-and-socket joint — the body’s largest — fits together in a way that allows for fluid movement.

Whenever you use the hip (for example, by going for a run), a cushion of cartilage helps prevent friction as the hip bone moves in its socket.

Despite its durability, the hip joint isn’t indestructible. With age and use, the cartilage can wear down or become damaged. Muscles and tendons in the hip can get overused. Bones in the hip can break during a fall or other injury. Any of these conditions can lead to hip pain.

If your hips are sore, here is a rundown of what might be causing your discomfort and how to get hip pain relief.

Causes of Hip Pain

These are some of the conditions that commonly cause hip pain:

Arthritis.Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are among the most common causes of hip pain, especially in older adults. Arthritis leads to inflammation of the hip joint and the breakdown of the cartilage that cushions your hip bones. The pain gradually gets worse. People with arthritis also feel stiffness and have reduced range of motion in the hip. Learn more about hip osteoarthritis.

Hip fractures. With age, the bones can become weak and brittle. Weakened bones are more likely to break during a fall. Learn more about hip fracture symptoms.

Bursitis. Bursae are sacs of liquid found between tissues such as bone, muscles, and tendons. They ease the friction from these tissues rubbing together. When bursae get inflamed, they can cause pain. Inflammation of bursae is usually due to repetitive activities that overwork or irritate the hip joint. Learn more about bursitis of the hip.

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. Learn more about tendinitis symptoms.

Muscle or tendon strain. Repeated activities can put strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the hips. When they become inflamed due to overuse, they can cause pain and prevent the hip from working normally. Learn about the best stretches for tight hip muscles.

Hip labral tear. This is a rip in the ring of cartilage (called the labrum) that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. Along with cushioning your hip joint, your labrum acts like a rubber seal or gasket to help hold the ball at the top of your thighbone securely within your hip socket. Athletes and people who perform repetitive twisting movements are at higher risk of developing this problem. Learn more about hip labral tears.

Cancers. Tumors that start in the bone or that spread to the bone can cause pain in the hips, as well as in other bones of the body. Learn more about bone tumors.

Avascular necrosis (also called osteonecrosis). This condition happens when blood flow to the hip bone slows and the bone tissue dies. Although it can affect other bones, avascular necrosis most often happens in the hip. It can be caused by a hip fracture or dislocation, or from the long-term use of high-dose steroids (such as prednisone), among other causes.

Symptoms of Hip Pain

Depending on the condition that’s causing your hip pain, you might feel the discomfort in your:

Thigh
Inside of the hip joint
Groin
Outside of the hip joint
Buttocks

Sometimes pain from other areas of the body, such as the back or groin (from a hernia), can radiate to the hip.

You might notice that your pain gets worse with activity, especially if it’s caused by arthritis. Along with the pain, you might have reduced range of motion. Some people develop a limp from persistent hip pain.

Hip Pain Relief

If your hip pain is caused by a muscle or tendon strain, osteoarthritis, or tendinitis, you can usually relieve it with an over-the-counter pain medication such as acetaminophen or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen or naproxen.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatments also include prescription anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate and sulfasalazine, and biologics, which target the immune system.

Another way to relieve hip pain is by holding ice to the area for about 15 minutes a few times a day. Try to rest the affected joint as much as possible until you feel better. You may also try heating the area. A warm bath or shower can help ready your muscle for stretching exercises that can lessen pain.

If you have arthritis, exercising the hip joint with low-impact exercises, stretching, and resistance training can reduce pain and improve joint mobility. For example, swimming is a good non-impact exercise for arthritis. Physical therapy can also help increase your range of motion.

When osteoarthritis becomes so severe that the pain is intense or the hip joint becomes deformed, a total hip replacement (arthroplasty) may be a consideration. People who fracture their hip sometimes need surgery to fix the fracture or replace the hip.

Call your health care provider if your pain doesn’t go away, or if you notice swelling, redness, or warmth around the joint. Also call if you have hip pain at night or when you are resting.

Get medical help right away if:

The hip pain came on suddenly.
A fall or other injury triggered the hip pain.
Your joint looks deformed or is bleeding.
You heard a popping noise in the joint when you injured it.
The pain is intense.
You can’t put any weight on your hip.
You can’t move your leg or hip.

Show Sources

American Family Physician, Oct. 15, 1999.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: “Osteoarthritis of the Hip,” “Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip.”

Firestein, Gary S. Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology, 2008.

American Family Physician, Feb. 1, 2003.

Why Does My Hip Hurt? 12 Common Causes of Hip Pain