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5 Common Causes of Hip Pain

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    Hip pain is a common complaint. Lots of people have hip pain and they do not know what to do with it. Sometimes the hip pain can be caused by illnesses in other parts of your body but in most cases, it is problems with the hip. If you have hip pain, it is a good reason to visit your doctor. In this article, we want to present to you what can cause hip pain and how to relieve it.

    1. Hip arthritis

    Hip arthritis means that your hip joint is inflamed. Unfortunately, arthritis is one the most common causes of hip pain. There are different types of arthritis, but all they mean is that the joint loses cartilage tissues, and it leads to joint destruction. Nowadays people do not know why arthritis is caused, but we know what increases the chances of arthritis, for example, being overweight, aging, etc. If you already have hip arthritis, in most cases the process is unstoppable. There are several symptoms of hip arthritis that include:

    • Hip pain
    • Groin pain
    • Increasing pain with vigorous 
    • Hip stiffness 
    • Etc

    If you have at least one of the following symptoms, do not neglect them and contact your doctor. You will have an x-ray and physical examination to check if you have hip arthritis. 

    2. Hip Bursitis

    Hip bursitis means that small fluid-filled pouches are inflamed, and it is one the most common causes of hip pain. These bursae are positioned between bones and soft tissues, and these pouches reduce the friction. Bursa is an inflammation of these pouches. There are 2 main types of bursitis: trochanteric and iliopsoas bursa. In general, bursitis is non-infectious and can be caused by other inflammations, it is very rare when the bursa is inflamed with bacteria. Treatment methods for non-inflamed cases include rest, cold pouches, and medication, but inflammation needs more care: antibiotics, and even surgery. Symptoms of hip bursitis include:

    • Hip pain
    • Fever
    • Skin redness 
    • Fatigue 

    You can follow some tips to get better if you already have bursitis or if you want to prevent it. If you are overweight, you should try to lose weight, avoid repetitive actions that may affect your hips, and of course maintain flexibility and strength in the hip muscles. 

    3. Hip Muscle Strains

    Hip muscles are a fundamental part of our routine, with their help we can walk, sit, etc. Hip muscle strains happen when one or more muscles are stretched or tears of a muscle that support the hip joint. Strains can be caused by daily activity, but of course, most people get muscle strains during sports activity. There are lots of things that can cause hip muscle strain, but mostly these reasons may cause muscle strain: overuse, bad warm-up, and hard exercises, very quick actions, etc. Symptoms of hip muscle strain include:

    • Spasms
    • Hip pain
    • Feeling discomfort in the upper part of a leg 
    • Stiffness
    • Pain when lifting a leg  to the chest
    • Etc

    Of course, you should recover from the strain. In general, it takes from 10 to 14 days. Avoid the activity that caused the strain for the recovery period. If you have noticed that pain returns, then change your activity and put a little bit less stress to the hips.

    4. Hip fractures

    A hip fracture is a break in the top of the thigh bone. In general, it happens in elder people because of osteoporosis, but when it happens in younger people, it can be a result of an auto collision, or a fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year more than 300,000 people who are over 65 years old are hospitalized with hip fractures. There are 2 types of hip fractures: femoral neck fracture and intertrochanteric hip fracture. The main difference between these two types of hip fractures is that the femoral neck fracture stops the blood supply to the femur and it may cause additional complications, but intertrochanteric hip fracture does not cut off the blood supply and it is easier to treat. Symptoms of the hip fracture include:

    • Hip pain
    • Knee pain
    • Inability to walk or even stand
    • Swellings 
    • Low back pain
    • Etc

    In most cases, a hip fracture can be diagnosed in different ways, but doctors use x-ray, MRI, and ct scans. Hip fracture is treated with surgery and the type of surgery depends on what type of fracture a person has because in different cases, people need a full or partial hip replacement. It depends on your case, that is why your surgeon will determine the type of surgery you need.

    5. Cancer

    Hip pain can be caused by many different reasons and bone cancer is one of those reasons exception. This type of cancer is really rare, less than 1 percent of all types of cancers. There are different types of bone cancer: primary bone cancer, chondrosarcoma, metastatic cancer, and leukemia. Primary bone cancer means that cancer arises in a bone. Chondrosarcoma is a primary type of bone cancer that mostly occurs in the hip. Metastatic cancer means that cancer spreads from one part of the body to another. Leukemia means that your bone marrow produces a larger amount of a certain type of blood cells. When these blood cells overfill the medulla, it may cause pain. Symptoms of bone cancer include:

    • Hip pain
    • Stiffness
    • Swelling
    • Limping
    • Anemia
    • Fever
    • Etc

    If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should contact your doctor. If cancer is diagnosed, relieving symptoms is a very important part of care and treatment.

    The bottom line

    To sum up, if you have hip pain, it is a great reason to contact your doctor to detect the problem and of course to solve it. If you have a serious condition, but in the early stages, it is great that you have contacted the doctor because you have a higher chance of treatment. Do not neglect the symptoms and try to appoint the meeting as early as you can.