Hip Pain Causes

Hip pain can be described as the sudden pain felt in and around hip region. The unique characteristic of hip pain is that the pain may not be felt exactly over the hip. It can occur in the upper part of the thigh or in the groin. On the other hand, hip pain can also be experienced because of some other health problems, like underlying back problems. Hip pain can make simple movements like walking a painful affair.

Causes

Hip pain causes are mostly related to some problems in the structure of hip joint. Problems in the muscles, ligaments, bones and tendons, are mainly responsible for causing hip pain. The most commonly found causes behind hip pain are as follows:

Hip Fractures: This is the most common cause of sudden hip pain. The fractures can occur due to some injury to the bones caused by some trauma or bad fall. Elderly who are suffering from osteoporosis are prone to get hip fractures because of degeneration of the bones due to the disease. Hip pain can have severe impact on the life of the victim as it restrict the movements of the body. In many cases, patients fail to return to normal life. It can also result in further health complication. It can lead to formation of blood clot in the leg which if moves to the lungs can give rise to a life-threatening condition.

Arthritis: Chronic hip pain is mainly caused by various forms of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one such inflammatory disease which gives burning hip pain accompanied by fever. Osteoarthritis is a condition that lead to degeneration of the hip joint over a period of time. Those who have a tendency to overdo exercises, running etc are more susceptible to this form of arthritis. Arthritis are treated with the help of joint replacement surgery.

Muscle Strain: If any of the muscles of the hip and the surrounding areas get strained it leads to muscle pain. Strains are nothing but small tears in the muscles. It occur due to too much of exertion or wrong lifting techniques. Groin pulls and the hamstrings are the two hip muscles that are susceptible to this kind of strain.

Avascular Necrosis: This is one such health condition which arises due to inadequate flow of blood to the bones. It happens because of use of cortisone injections for a prolonged period of time. Other causes of avascular necrosis are sickle cell anemia, injury, organ transplantation etc.

Tendonitis: Tendons are connective tissues that connect the muscles with the joint. Due to overuse of the hip joint, the tendons of the area may get inflamed and is a cause of hip pain. Repetitive strenuous activities of athletes or dancers often lead to tendonitis.

Other Causes: Anterior hip pain causes are either associated with bursitis or defect of the abdominal wall. Burisitis results from inflammation of the small fluid filed sacs present near the hip joint. The pain is mainly experienced during movements of the joint. Back and hip pain causes are related to spinal problems like herniated discs and sciatica. This pain originates in the lower back region and move on to the hip. Bilateral hip pain lies with a health condition which is referred to as Perthe's disease. Here the topmost part of the thigh bone softens up and is broken down. It mainly affects children.

Treatment for Hip Pain

In the beginning, the best treatment for the hip pain is to give good amount of rest to the hip joints. For this, if you can lie down on a firm surface, then it can ease off the pressure from the hips to some extent. When the pain is accompanied by swelling, then application of ice pack can reduce the swelling within a few days. You can take painkillers for pain relief after consulting your doctor. If walking causes a lot of pain in the hip joint, then use walking aids like crutches to give comfort to the painful area. Once the pain decreases, physical therapy and hip stretching exercises will be beneficial for further recovery from the pain. Sometimes, surgery may be required to treat the condition of severe fracture or arthritic condition.

Most of the causes can be avoided if certain preventive measures are carefully followed. You should maintain proper body weight so that excess of pressure is not exerted on the hip joint. Correct your posture while sitting, standing and bending, to avoid hip pain. Make sure you do some warm up exercises before starting any strenuous activities. This will make your muscles flexible and reduce the chances of injury.