Hip Pain

This ball-and-socket joint — the body’s largest — fits together in a way that allows for fluid movement. The hip joint can withstand repeated motion and a fair amount of wear and tear. There is a cushion of cartilage in the hip that helps prevent friction as the hip bone moves within its socket.
Despite the durability of the hip, it is not 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 and many more can lead to hip pain.
Here are some common causes of hip pain:

1. Core muscle injury (athletic pubalgia).
Often times pain in the groin area can be caused by a core muscle injury, such as a strain or tear of muscles or other soft tissues in the lower abdomen. This injury is common in “weekend warriors” — individuals who play sports involving a lot of extreme twisting and turning, but who aren’t as athletically conditioned as they used to be.
Treatment: Resting the affected muscles for several weeks can help. You may also require surgery to repair the torn muscle by a general surgeon.

2. Bursitis.
This pain often presents itself as pain on the outside of your hip, thigh and/or buttocks. Bursitis is an inflammation of the pillow-like fluid sacs that keep tendons and muscles from rubbing directly against bone. Bursitis becomes more common as we age, and is more common in people over 60.
Treatment: Physical therapy, putting ice compresses on the area and taking anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Sometimes, your doctor may give you a cortisone injection to reduce inflammation.

3. Tendonitis.
If you’re active, and your hip flexor (the group of muscles that lets you bring your knee and leg toward your body) or groin are tender when you touch or move them, you may have tendonitis. Repetitive motions and strain on specific tendons in the hip creates minor injuries that can lead to muscular imbalances and subsequent hip pain. People who do very specific activities over and over, like kicking a soccer ball, can be at risk for this severe pain.
Treatment: Physical therapy, putting ice compresses on the area and taking anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Sometimes, your doctor may give you a cortisone injection to reduce inflammation.

4. Labral tears.
The labrum is the ring of cartilage that surrounds the hip socket and ensures the ball of the hip stays in place. When it tears — often in athletes and ballerinas — it causes pain in the hip or groin and limits movement, creating a sensation that the hip is locking, catching or clicking.
Treatment: A type of minimally invasive surgery is used to repair the labrum and shave down the misshaped bone. This procedure corrects the hip’s alignment, relieving pain and protecting the joint.

5. Osteoarthritis.
This is one of the most common causes of hip pain. This is often a constant dull pain that is worsened with activity. With osteoarthritis, your joints become stiff and swollen due to inflammation and breakdown of cartilage, causing pain and deformity.
Treatment: Along with rest, ice, steroids and over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications, and cortisone inections, more aggressive treatments include hip resurfacing or total hip replacement.