Hip Pain

To better understand the causes of hip pain we divide it to:

  1. Anterior pain  

  2. Lateral pain

  3. Posterior pain

Hip Pain

Causes of Anterior hip pain are:

    1. Osteoarthritis: usually patient is elderly and progresses slowly and is worse with standing or walking
    2. Labrum tear : patient is young, has same location of pain, and is usually accompanied by painful click or catch
    3. Avascular Necrosis : gradual onset anterior pain caused by disintegration of the femoral head. Risk factors are alcoholism, Steroids use, Systemic Lupus and Sickle cell disease.
    4. Iliopsoas Bursitis : has similar location as hip arthritis, younger patient, there is usually history of trauma or prior history of inflammatory arthritis
    5. Hip Joint Infection: usually there is a fever and severe anterior hip pain in immunospressed patient or after hip surgery
    6. Meralgia Paresthetica : anterior thigh pain and numbness from pinched nerve at the waist usually in an obese patient

Causes of Lateral hip pain

The most common cause for lateral hip pain is:

  1. Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (formerly known as Trochanteric Bursitis)
  2. It causes swelling and inflammation in the bursa
  3. Onset can be acute and gradual and if undiagnosed it can cause chronic pain
  4. Risk factors include trauma to the area, back or hip arthritis, scoliosis and  legs length discrepancy
  5. Diagnosis is made by finding localized tenderness at the trochanter location
  6. Treatment is Steroid injection

Causes for Posterior hip pain are:

  1. Sacroiliac Joints Dysfunction or Inflammation: pain is usually in the buttock and does not radiate down the leg, pain onset is gradual and unilateral, pain decreases en lying down, this condition usually affects people with rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy, inflammatory bowel disease or following pelvic trauma, diagnosis is by physical exam. Treatment: NSAIDs, Brace and physical therapy. Steroids injections may be of benefit.
  2. Lumbar Radiculopathy and Sciatica: the cause of the pain is pinched nerve or nerve root, in case of sciatica the cause is usually a herniated disc, spinal stenosis or trauma causing bruising and scarring pinching the nerve. Some medical illnesses can cause Neuropathy with similar presentation like Diabetes and Alcoholism. Pain is usually sharp and radiates down the leg. Treatment is to treat the cause
  3. Peripheral Arterial Disease: pain can mimic the Sciatica pain but is aggravated by exertion and relieved by rest (intermittent claudication) in addition the leg is usually pale and cold
  4. Ischiogluteal Bursitis

If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, visit Medical Care 1 in Ypsilanti. No appointments needed. Give us a call at