Hip pain is a common symptom that can be caused by anything from sports injuries to arthritis. You can usually treat hip pain at home by taking a break from physical activities and taking over-the-counter pain relievers. But if the pain persists or gets worse, other treatments may be necessary.
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.
Hip pain can sometimes be caused by diseases and conditions in other areas of your body, such as your lower back.
Other red flags of concern with respect to the patient presenting with hip and/or groin pain include a history of trauma, fever, unexplained weight loss, burning with urination, night pain, and prolonged corticosteroid use.
Hip pain has many causes besides cancer. Cancer of the hip can be a bone cancer, metastatic cancer (spread to the hip from somewhere else), or leukemia (a bone-marrow cancer). Symptoms of hip cancer include pain, swelling, fever, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, and generally feeling sick.
Any hip pain that does not improve in a short period of time should be checked out by a qualified medical professional. First of all, minor muscle strain or ligament sprain can resolve which rest, but they can also develop into more chronic, nagging, long-term strain and repeated hip injury.
Symptoms of bursitis of the hip
Symptoms include joint pain and tenderness. You may also see swelling and feel warmth around the affected area. The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later.
Symptoms of hip arthritis may include pain in or near the hip joint, stiffness, audible clicking sounds when moving the hip, and weakness. While hip arthritis is usually a chronic condition, there are treatments to help ease the symptoms and reduce further damage.
Osteoarthritis. This is a very common cause of a daily, dull pain in the hip. With osteoarthritis, your joints become stiff and swollen due to inflammation and breakdown of cartilage, causing pain and deformity.
Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) may help ease your hip pain. Ice or heat. Use ice cubes or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel to apply cold treatments to your hip.
Walking can help reduce stiffness, as the hip flexors are loosened up, which improves hip flexibility and range of motion. Reduce inflammation in the hips. Arthritis causes chronic inflammation, and walking as a form of exercise boosts blood flow to your hip joint cartilage, which helps decrease inflammation.
Aside from the common symptoms of hip arthritis highlighted above, you should see a doctor if you experience any of the following: Swelling in the area. Decreased range of motion that affects your daily activities. Weakness, instability, or immobility.
Diagnosing hip bursitis
Your doctor might also ask you to do simple tasks like standing on the affected leg to see how your legs are functioning. Sometimes, your doctor will order an X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan, too, to verify that the pain is due to bursitis and not a fracture or other problem.
There are a few basic ways to know if you have hip bursitis or arthritis. If the pain you feel is sharp and severe before spreading out into an ache in the affected area, you may have hip bursitis. On the other hand, if your pain develops slower and is more painful in the morning, it may be hip arthritis.
If you experience these for longer than 6 weeks, you may need to speak to a healthcare professional. Occasionally, problems felt in your hip can be due to a back problem - even though you don't feel pain in your back.
Hip pain often gets better on its own, and can be managed with rest and over-the-counter painkillers.
Some people with leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes have bone or joint pain. This bone pain is most often felt in the long bones of the arms and legs, in the ribs and in the breastbone. Joint pain and swelling of the large joints, like the hips and shoulders, sometimes starts several weeks after bone pain begins.