Common Causes of Hip Pain

The hip is the body’s largest ball and socket joint and is made to withstand significant wear and tear. However, over time, the durability of the hip can become compromised as the cartilage wears down, muscles and tendons become stressed from overuse, or bones break from a fall or injury.

Treating hip pain begins with identifying the source. The most common causes of hip pain may surprise you.

Joint Disease

Arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondylarthritis, may cause hip pain, or similar joint diseases, like bursitis, gout, and lupus, may be the culprit.

Most of these conditions become more common with age, with osteoarthritis being the most prevalent. The CDC estimates over 32.5 million American adults report the condition.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes weak and brittle bones in both men and women. However, women are much more likely to suffer from the disease. Osteoporosis can cause poor posture, and when patients experience a broken bone due to the condition, the bone can take months to heal.

Fracture

Even if you don’t have osteoporosis, a traumatic injury can cause a hip fracture, or you can develop a stress fracture in the hip joint from repeated microtrauma. Both conditions are painful and can take considerable time to heal, depending on their location.

Labral Tear

The hip socket is structured to protect all aspects of the bones. The labrum is a ring of cartilage surrounding a ball socket that works to ensure the ball stays in place. In the hip, the ball of the thigh bone is held through the labrum.

When the labrum tears, you may experience pain in the hip or groin, a limited range of motion, and the feeling of the hip catching or clicking. The pain of a labral tear tends to be persistent, and this type of injury is common in athletes, dancers, and those with previous injuries or shallow hips.

Hip Strains or Sprains

When the muscles or ligaments of the hip are overstretched or overworked, you can experience a tear or pull, which causes concentrated hip pain that may worsen over time. It can also cause loss of flexibility and lack of strength.

Pinched Nerve

When other tissues apply pressure to a nerve, it may compress or pinch, causing a tingling or burning sensation, a radiating numbness, or pain that ranges from dull to severe. A pinched nerve can affect your gait, causing further issues and limiting your movement from the joint.

Hip pain should be diagnosed and treated before the condition worsens. Many new therapy options exist for resolving joint pain, including PRP and stem cell therapy.

This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions. We also offer Chelation Therapy!