It typically requires one to three weeks of rest and treatment to recover from mild conditions fully. On the other hand, more severe cases can take around four to six weeks or longer. In addition, injuries that did not receive immediate treatment may take months to recover fully and may also cause chronic pain.
The most common symptoms of hip strain or sprain is pain over the hip. Pain typically intensifies with increased activity. You may also feel swelling, tenderness, stiffness, muscle spasm and bruising along the hip. You could also lose muscle strength or flexibility and have difficulty walking.
Depending on the extent of damage sustained, a hip flexor strain may be felt either as mild pain or a sharp and cramping one that can make it hard for you to walk without limping. The reason behind it is that the top of the thigh muscle may budge, making it hard for you to walk, indicating a tear which is less common.
Rest and protect your hip. Try to stop or reduce any action that causes pain. Put ice or a cold pack on your hip for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the next 3 days (when you are awake) or until the swelling goes down.
Most people can recover by resting their muscle and using at-home treatments like ice and over-the-counter medicine. If you're feeling pain for a few weeks after your injury or have severe symptoms, see a healthcare provider.
Stretching the hip flexors when they feel tight can help improve your mobility. Keeping these muscles loose and flexible can also help you avoid issues with other muscle groups, like the quadriceps or low back.
A hip strain occurs when a muscle that supports the hip tears. A hip sprain may occur when a ligament that supports the hip is stretched beyond its limits. If you have severe hip strains or sprains, you may not be able to move your hip correctly.
Avoid exercises involving repetitive hip flexion, the motion involving bringing your hip or leg up toward your chest. If doing squats, keep them shallow and hold off on lunges entirely, until you receive a diagnosis from your doctor. Do not work through pain. When walking or running, pay attention to pain.
Go to a hospital or get emergency help if: Your hip pain is acute and caused by a serious fall or other injury. Your leg is deformed, badly bruised, or bleeding. You are unable to move your hip or bear any weight on your leg.
Stretching and massaging your hip flexors can help loosen these muscles and decrease any pain you're feeling. An added benefit is increased flexibility, so this is an important exercise to try.
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments and capsule at a joint in the body. A strain is an injury to muscles or tendons. Immediate treatment of sprains or strains includes protection, optimal loading, ice, compression and elevation (POLICE).
Hip pain often gets better on its own, and can be managed with rest and over-the-counter painkillers. See your GP if you have the symptoms listed below (under 'when to see your GP'). Some of the common causes of hip pain are outlined on this page.
A hip strain is the result of extreme stretching or tearing of a muscle that supports the hip joint. A strained hip can be mild, moderate or severe; a severe strain can limit your ability to move your hip. There are two large bones that make up the hip joint: the femur, or thighbone, and the pelvis.
Exercise shouldn't make your existing hip pain worse overall. However, practicing new exercises can sometimes cause short term muscle pain as the body gets used to moving in new ways. This kind of pain should ease quickly and your pain should be no worse the morning after you've exercised.
Mild pain and pulling in the front of the hip. Cramping and sharp pain. It may be hard to walk without limping. Difficulty getting out of a chair or coming up from a squat.
Iliopsoas Impingement and Snapping Hip
If you feel a sort of snapping or popping sensation in your hip as you walk, sit, stand or swing your leg, then you most likely suffer from iliopsoas impingement or snapping hip syndrome. The iliopsoas, also known as a hip flexor, connects your spine with your femur.
Common places for muscle strains in the hip and thigh include the hip flexors, lower abdomen/groin, adductors, quadriceps, and hamstrings. A muscle strain in the hip or thigh can be related to an acute injury or from chronic repetitive overuse injuries.
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.
Walking is good for hip pain and you should try to walk as much as you can each day. You'll find that in time and with consistency, your hip pain will diminish, and in a best case scenario, it will disappear altogether.
Acute bursitis usually flares over hours or days. Chronic bursitis can last from a few days to several weeks. Chronic bursitis can go away and come back again.
Your hips should be slightly higher than your knees. Height: Adjust the height of your chair if necessary so your feet are flat on the floor. If you can't lower your seat, use a footrest. Your hips should be slightly higher than your knees.
When the pain decreases, begin normal, slow movements. For mild and moderate muscle strains, you should rest your muscles for about 2 days. If you have a severe muscle strain, you should rest for 10 to 14 days. You may need to use crutches to walk if your muscle strain is in your legs or lower body.