Pain on the side of your hip is more likely from tendinitis, tight muscles, or another condition. Hip bursitis — an inflammation between your thighbone and nearby tendons — is commonly diagnosed when patients have pain on the outer side of the hip.
Seek immediate medical attention
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if your hip pain is caused by an injury and is accompanied by: A joint that appears deformed. Inability to move your leg or hip. Inability to bear weight on the affected leg.
If you don't move your hips, their muscles can weaken and tighten up, which makes you more prone to outer hip pain, says Dr. Goostree. Any type of movement is beneficial, but walking, stretching, and doing strengthening exercises such as squats and lunges can be especially beneficial (more information below).
Pain from the side, or lateral, part of the hip includes iliotibial (IT) band pain as well as tendinitis, tears of the gluteal tendons as they attach to the bone (gluteal cuff) and inflammation of the trochanteric bursa (bursitis).
Both injury and overuse can cause pain in the outer hip area. People use their hips constantly while walking, sitting, and moving throughout the day. As a result, hip pain is a common problem. While outer hip pain may sometimes go away on its own, other cases require the help of a medical professional.
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.
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.
Many forms of arthritis and related conditions can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the hips. Hip pain can occur on the outside or inside of the hip, the upper thigh or outer buttock.
It can present suddenly through overuse or build up gradually over time, it usually settles within 6 weeks. It is often worse when lying in bed at night on the affected side, or when walking/ standing for long periods.
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.
Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a common cause of hip pain in women, especially as they age. This condition occurs when the cartilage that cushions the hip joint wears away, leading to bone-on-bone friction and resulting in pain and stiffness.
If you have hip pain only at night, odds are the culprit is your sleep position or mattress. Side sleepers are particularly prone to hip pain due to pressure on the hip joint. The opposite hip – the one you're not lying on – might hurt, too, if it strains forward.
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), also known as lateral hip pain or trochanteric bursitis, is a common condition where you can experience pain and tenderness on the outside of the hip and buttock region, shown in the picture below. Sometimes it may travel down as far as the outside of the knee.
“Pain coming from the hip joint is most often due to hip arthritis (osteoarthritis). If the pain seems to be in the front of the thigh, including deep in the groin area, then this is an indication of hip joint pain and probably hip arthritis.” The pain may become worse with activity or with sudden pivoting movements.
Pain that flares up with vigorous activity. Stiffness in the hip joint that makes it difficult to walk or bend. "Locking" or "sticking" of the joint, and a grinding noise (crepitus) during movement caused by loose fragments of cartilage and other tissue interfering with the smooth motion of the hip.
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.
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.
Hip pain is a symptom of several conditions, including arthritis, injuries to your hip (fractures, labral tears and dislocation), bursitis and structural issues. Athletes who move their hips in all directions, like dancers and gymnasts, are more likely to injure their hips and have hip pain.
1) Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common sources of hip pain, particularly in older adults. Arthritis can lead to inflammation of the hip joint and erosion of the cartilage that cushions your hip bones. In addition to the pain, arthritis can reduce range of motion and cause your hips to feel stiff.
A positive Hip Quadrant test is an indication that there might be arthritis, an osteochondral defect, avascular necrosis, joint capsule tightness and/or an acetabular labrum defect. This test also detects if the patients hip can move through the full range of motion.
Diagnosis of hip bursitis
Your doctor might order imaging tests such as x-ray, MRIs, ultrasounds, or bone scans. Ultrasound and MRI specifically are used to confirm the diagnosis when the bursae are too deep for regular inspection.
What causes hip pain when sleeping? A variety of conditions can cause hip pain when sleeping. The most common causes are bursitis, osteoarthritis, sciatic-piriformis syndrome and tendonitis. Other causes include injury to your muscles or soft tissues, pregnancy, the position you sleep in and your bed or pillows.