Suffering From Hip Pain?
Hip pain is a common complain in athletes and adults over 60 years.
The hip is a mobile ball and socket joint, allowing for movement through a large range of motion, but it also transmits all forces between the upper and lower body. When you are experiencing hip pain, it can be difficult to stand and move around. Learn about some of the common hip conditions we treat at Evomotion Health and Wellness.
Common Causes Of Hip Pain
Adductor Strain
The adductors are a muscle group of the hip that are located on the inner thigh. They are responsible for bringing the hips together and helping with stabilizing the pelvis while walking. The adductors become strained following a forceful stretch of the muscles. It often occurs from a sudden change in direction or a quick stop and start in older athletes.
Symptoms May Include:
- Groin or inner thigh pain
- Intense pain at time of injury and becomes dull and achy
- Aggravation with changing directions
- Pain and weakness when squeezing legs together
- Difficulty lifting leg up
- Difficulty walking up stairs
Hip Labral Tear
The acetabular labrum is a band of tough cartilage that lines the socket of the hip. It helps cushion the hip and keeps the leg bone stable in the joint. A labral tear can occur in anyone, but is more common in people with a shallow socket due increased instability. Almost 3 in 4 labral tears have no known direct cause and develop gradually. Activities that require repetitive hip rotation, falls, or car accidents may be other causes.
Symptoms May Include:
- Sharp groin pain
- Radiation of pain to low back or buttock
- Increased pain with hip flexion
- Locking, clicking, or catching in the hip
- Hip joint stiffness
- Hip feels like it is "giving way"
Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome
The greater trochanter is located on the outside of the thigh, just below the hip joint. It is the attachment site for the gluteal muscles and the tensor fascia lata. Between the greater trochanter and the muscle tendons is a bursa, a small fluid-filled sac, that reduces friction between the bone and the soft tissue. Pain originates from the inflammation of the bursa due to an injury, repetitive friction, or excessive pressure.
Symptoms May Include:
- Dull and achy pain over the outer, upper thigh
- Radiation of pain down the outer thigh, rarely past the knee
- Increased pain with hip activity
- Walking with a limp
- Aggravation with lying on the affected side
- Snapping hip
Meralgia Paresthetica
Meralgia Parasthetica is a neurological disorder affecting the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. This nerve provides sensation to the front outer thigh. Causes include injury or compression of the nerve and may be due to belts or tight clothing. It is more commonly seen in patients with diabetes or those who are pregnant.
Symptoms May Include:
- Dull achy, burning, or stabbing pain on the top, outer side of the thigh
- Numbness and tingling in the outer thigh
- Itchiness at the front of the hip and outer thigh
- Hypersensitivity to touch
- Aggravation with prolonged standing
- Relief with sitting
