Common Causes Of Hip Pain In Women And How To Find Relief
When trying to analyse the cause of hip pain in women, it is important to think about any systems that could potentially be contributing to that pain. For example, the pain felt over the front of the hip, in the groin area, could be attributed to a gynaecological cause , an abdominal cause or a joint problem. Pain over the side of the hip and in the buttock area is more likely to be caused by a problem within the hip joint. However, all of these may also be caused by referred pain from a problem in the knee or lower back.
This article will focus more on the direct causes of hip pain caused by problems in and around the hip joint itself, and offer 5 top tips to help relieve hip pain caused by common joint problems. If you have any concerns that your hip pain may be caused by something other than the joint directly, you should seek advice from your GP.
Musculoskeletal pain is a significant contributor to ill health in the UK, with 25% of all GP consultations relating to joint and muscle pain. Of this, hip pain is a major contributor, appearing in the top three most commonly reported MSK problems.
How Can Hip Pain Be Diagnosed
- For diagnosing the hip pain and the reason behind it, the doctor may first ask you to walk around.
- The doctor will then compare the motion of the normal and abnormal hips. To diagnose hip pain better, the doctor may order some tests like an X-ray, CT Scan, Ultrasound, and MRI Scan. These imaging tests will provide a clear image of the body part and help the doctor in recognizing the reason behind the pain in the hip.
I Have Pain That Shoots Down My Hip And Leg Help
Modern daily life can put strain on our hip joints and our legs. And the more overweight you are, the higher the risk of joint pain.
Weight loss is often the best course of action in dealing with joint pain, and with almost 70% of Northern Americans being overweight, its common to leave the explanation at that. Yet, its not only joint problems that cause issues in the hips and legs. Hip pain can often radiate down the leg and masquerade as a source of discomfort in your knee or lower leg and, with doctors and specialists pushing the concept of joint stiffness and problems, its easy to generalize and cast your own diagnosis. While joint stiffness shares a common denominator with any hip/leg issue, in that it makes daily activities harder to perform, there are often other factors at play. Hip pain can stem from anywhere in the area, with this pain fed down the nerves that travel down into the lower leg. This can cause affliction in the thigh, the knee, and down towards your feet. So whats the potential diagnosis? Here are some of the most common causes of pain that radiate from the hip and down your leg.
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Muscle Or Tendon Tension
Finally, playing sports or over-exercising is typically the cause of muscle or tendon tension. Muscle and tendon pain ranges from sharp, stabbing pain to pain that is only present when the muscle or tendon is touched. A tight IT band, for example, which runs along the outside of the thigh, typically wont cause pain unless you touch it.
Muscle or tendon tension usually resolves in a few days. You can easily treat this kind of pain at home through routine massage, stretching, or foam rolling. Be sure to consult your doctor if your pain continues for longer than a week.
What Are The Most Common Causes Of Hip And Leg Pain
Hip and leg pain can stem from numerous causes and range from mild, intermittent pain, to debilitating pain that prevents you from getting out of bed. Sudden trauma or slow degeneration from a disease like arthritis or simply age also cause hip and leg pain.
Common causes of hip and leg pain include:
- Muscle or tendon tension
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Pain That Originates In The Front Of The Hip
Hip pain that occurs in the front of the hip and groin area is usually caused by conditions that affect the hip joint.1 A few examples are discussed below.
Hip osteoarthritis
Wear-and-tear of the hip joint, called hip osteoarthritis, commonly causes deep aching pain in the hip and groin region.1,2 The pain may spread to the front of the thigh and knee, sometimes including areas below the knee.2 The pain is usually worse in the morning, after prolonged sitting or resting, and/or physical activity. A locking, sticking, or grinding sound may occur during hip movements.3
See Hip Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Hip labral tear
When the labrum or the cartilaginous ring around the hip socket tears, the symptoms can be variable. Most often, labral tears cause pain in the groin. Pain can also occur along the side of the hip or buttocks.
Initially, the pain from a labral tear may be felt during or after exercise and other vigorous activities. Over time, pain may also be felt during less strenuous activities, such as sitting.
Read more about Hip Labral Tears on Sports-health.com
Hip impingement
Read more about Hip Impingement on Sports-health.com
Hip osteoarthritis and/or labral tears may result from abnormal contact between the hip jointâs bones, resulting in hip impingement. Hip impingement pain may travel down from the front and side of the hip to the front of the thigh and knee. Sitting, driving, squatting, or performing hip movements and rotations typically aggravates this pain.4
Urgent Advice: Ask For An Urgent Gp Appointment Or Get Help From Nhs 111 If:
- you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you’ve not had a fall or injured your hip
- your hip is swollen and feels hot
- the skin around your hip has changed colour
- you have hip pain and feel generally unwell and have a high temperature or feel hot and shivery
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
- Severe pain:
-
- always there and so bad it’s hard to think or talk
- you cannot sleep
- it’s very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
- Moderate pain:
-
- makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
- you can manage to get up, wash or dress
- Mild pain:
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Leg Numbness Treatment In Chicago
Experiencing numbness in one or both of your legs due to sciatica or another condition can cause persistent problems, including trouble sitting down and walking. Here at Advanced Spine & Sports Care, we can provide multiple services for leg numbness in Chicago, including advice, diagnostics, and a range of professional chiropractic treatments, such as:
Ice therapy Stretching Massage
If youve noticed numbness in your leg, then visiting a chiropractor in Chicago as soon as possible is very important, both to address the current pain or difficulties that youre having, and to start recovery as soon as possible to prevent further problems from occurring.
What Is Hip And Leg Pain
Hip and leg pain can have many different causes. Because the movement of the hip joint, lower back, and leg bones are all connected, pain or inflammation in one area can cause problems in another. This is called referred pain.
Types of damage or injury that could be causing hip and leg pain are:
- Bone fractures.
- Nerve damage. Damage to the nerves can lead to neuropathy , a tingling sensation radiating into the legs and extremities.
- Muscle injury or inflammation . Muscle sprains, tears or strains in the lower back, buttocks, pelvis, and thighs can cause hip and leg pain.
- Joint problems.Arthritis can lead to pain in the hip, lumbar or lower spine, and the knee, causing pain that can be felt throughout the lower body.
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Treatment For Hip Pain
Treatment for hip pain depends on the cause. Some causes, like a pinched or irritated nerve or a slight sprain, may go away with time. You might not need treatment.
In many cases, physical therapy may help to treat hip pain. You can do exercises to help strengthen your hip and knee joints. You may also need to improve core strength in your back and abdomen. This helps to keep your hip joint balanced when walking and running.
- using a cane or crutches
Discuss options with a healthcare provider. They can assess and help you determine the treatments that are available for your case. You can connect to a healthcare provider in your area using the Healthline FindCare tool.
Labral Tear Of The Hip
The labrum is a cup-shaped rim of cartilage that lines the ball-and-socket joint, and reinforces the shape of your hip . When this cartilaginous ring around the acetabulum tears or becomes damaged, then variable symptoms are practically inevitable. Pain in the groin area is common, but can also creep across the hip and down each buttock. The discomfort that stems from a labral tear is felt at its worst after exercise or any other vigorous activities. As times onward march continues, and without treatment, this pain will become more prevalent throughout less strenuous movements, such as resting or sleeping.
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How Does The Hip Work
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that comprises the top of the thigh. The femur, which is your thigh bone, sits into the acetabulum, which is the socket that allows it to remain both stable and mobile, and to allow for movement without dislocation.
What is Anterior Hip Pain and what are it’s causes?
Anterior hip pain is most often caused by a strain in the hip flexor muscles which are located at the front of the hip. A strain, which is a injury to a muscle or tendon, causes a painful sensation to the hip which heavily contributes while walking, running or squatting. These strains are common with overtraining, strength imbalances, poor technique, inflexibility and forceful contractions such as kicking and sprinting. The most common and impactful of these is overtraining which includes insufficient rest and difficult training sessions. Consistent overtraining sessions will result in micro trauma which accumulate and result in a possible hip flexor strain or tendonitis.
Common Potential Reasons For Pain In The Front Of The Hip Include:
I will cover each one of these in more detail.
There are many common reasons to develop pain in or around the hip flexors. Often the cause for the pain is nearly identical . Its important to get the proper diagnosis to insure that youre treating the right structures.
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Common Hip Flexor Injuries And Treatments
The hip flexor muscles are a group of muscles attached to the hip joint that allow you to both bring your knee toward your chest as well as bend at the waist. In other words, the hip flexor muscles are fundamental to everyday movement. When these muscles are injured, they are painful and limit your ability to live a normal life.
Injuries can occur in either the inner hip muscles, anterior compartment of the thigh, medial compartment of the thigh, or gluteal muscles however, the pain of an injury is rarely felt in just one area. This makes the cause of hip pain difficult to pinpoint.
This article contains descriptions of common hip flexor injuries as well as conservative, at-home treatments for managing mild to moderate symptoms. To accurately diagnose the source of your pain and receive the most effective treatment, contact a hip specialist.
Nerve Issues Or Damage
Nerve problems in or close to the hip joint can also cause pain when walking. Pinched or damaged nerves in the back can lead to nerve pain in the hip.
- Sciatica. A pinched nerve in the lower back can cause hip and leg pain.
- Sacroiliitis. Nerve damage due to inflammation where the spine joins the pelvis bone can also cause pain.
- Meralgia paresthetica.Nerve irritation in the outer thigh can be due to obesity, tight clothing, or too much standing or exercise.
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Understanding Hip Flexor Pain
Hip flexor pain is a common complaint among physically active people, especially runners and soccer and hockey players. The pain occurs at the hip and/or groin and can make everyday activities, such as lifting a leg to tie a shoe and going up or down stairs, more difficult.
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that attach to various points of the spine, pelvis, and femur. They are responsible for bending the torso forward at the hips and moving the legs toward the body.
What Does A Pinched Nerve In The Hip Feel Like
A pinched nerve feels different from a stiff back, though the pain and symptoms vary among different people. A pinched nerve in the hip often causes pain in the groin. Sometimes the pain also radiates down the inner thigh. It can travel to the knee as well.
If you have a pinched nerve in your hip, walking will make it worse. The more activity you do, the worse the pain should become. The pain may feel like a dull ache or it may be a sharp, burning pain. You may also experience painful numbness, especially in the buttocks, or a tingling sensation. Some people also notice a tight feeling.
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Features Of Hip Joint Related Anterior Hip Pain
- Mid-inguinal pain – half way along the inguinal crease, below the inguinal ligament – directly anterior to the hip joint. This pain is usually described as a deep ache with or without an intermittent sharp catch, usually with movement
- ‘C’ sign – where the patient grasps their anterolateral hip with their webspace in a ‘c’ shape
- ‘Triangulation sign’ – where the patient indicates a point somewhere deep in the middle of the mid-inguinal, mid-buttock and lateral hip regions
- +/or may present with referred pain to the anterior knee and anterolateral leg
- Night ache is common and usually indicates an inflammatory state
When Hip Pain May Mean Arthritis
Learn about the various causes of hip pain, including different kinds of arthritis.
Many forms of arthritis and related conditions can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the hips. Hip pain can occur on the outside or inside of the hip, the upper thigh or outer buttock. Here are some diseases that can affect the hips.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Previously known as wear and tear arthritis, OA is a disease of the joint that causes inflammation and damage to the tissues in the joint, including cartilage, which cushions the ends of the bones where they meet to form joints. The result is stiffness, pain, loss of movement and the formation of bony growths . Pain from hip OA is often felt in the groin area and front of the thigh. Stiffness may be worst after periods of inactivity, like first thing in the morning.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the immune system doesnt work properly and attacks the body’s own tissues, including the joints. Hip involvement in RA is often signaled by pain, stiffness or swelling in the hips, thighs or groin area. RA usually affects the same joint on both sides of the body, such as both hips.
Juvenile Arthritis
Juvenile arthritis refers to rheumatic diseases, including arthritis, that affect children and teens 16 years and younger. Several types of juvenile arthritis may cause hip joint pain and swelling.
AxSpA
Psoriatic Arthritis
Bursitis
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Leg Tingling Treatment In Chicago
At Advanced Spine & Sports Care, well evaluate the position of your spine and get to the bottom of the cause of the tingling sensation in your leg. Well make sure that its not just the symptoms that you gain relief from, but the true condition causing the unwelcome sensation.
We take a firmly natural approach to treatment for problems with leg tingling, with procedures that are non-invasive and proven to be effective. One of the most efficient treatments for leg problems is spinal adjustment, which can help with pinched nerves and herniated or bulging discs – these can cause problems like tingling and numbness in the leg.
What Are Common Hip And Leg Pain Treatments
Treatment for hip and leg pain varies depending on the cause and severity of your pain, but there are several treatment options available. Always consult with your doctor to determine the best treatment plan for your specific needs.
Common treatment options include:
- Weight loss program
- Hip and leg stretches
- Interventional procedures, for more severe cases
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