When Should You See an Orthopedic Doctor for Hip Pain? Hip pain is usually temporary, especially after an injury. However, if the pain lasts for more than six weeks, you may want to consider consulting one of our orthopedic hip specialists at our University Orthopaedic Center.
Seek immediate medical attention
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if your hip pain is caused by an injury and is accompanied by: A joint that appears deformed. Inability to move your leg or hip. Inability to bear weight on the affected leg.
Go to a hospital or get emergency help if: Your hip pain is acute and caused by a serious fall or other injury. Your leg is deformed, badly bruised, or bleeding. You are unable to move your hip or bear any weight on your leg.
In many cases, new pain or a flare-up of long-standing hip problems should begin to settle within 6 weeks without the need to see a healthcare professional.
Your orthopedic doctor can help you with hip pain. Before treatment, your orthopedic doctor will diagnose your condition through a physical exam and diagnostic or lab tests. When they confirm your diagnosis, your provider will explain your symptoms and the causes of your condition or injury.
Symptoms of bursitis of the hip
Symptoms include joint pain and tenderness. You may also see swelling and feel warmth around the affected area. The pain is often sharp in the first few days. It may be dull and achy later.
Walking is good for hip pain and you should try to walk as much as you can each day. You'll find that in time and with consistency, your hip pain will diminish, and in a best case scenario, it will disappear altogether.
Call your health care provider if your pain doesn't go away, or if you notice swelling, redness, or warmth around the joint. Also call if you have hip pain at night or when you are resting. Get medical help right away if: The hip pain came on suddenly.
Hip pain often gets better on its own, and can be managed with rest and over-the-counter painkillers. See your GP if you have the symptoms listed below (under 'when to see your GP').
Problems within the hip joint itself tend to result in pain on the inside of your hip or your groin. Hip pain on the outside of your hip, upper thigh or outer buttock is usually caused by problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround your hip joint.
Back pain can often times be mistaken for hip pain since the hip joint is so close to the spine. Generally, hip and back pain can range from a dull ache to sharp pain. This can affect your mobility and everyday activities.
See a GP if:
hip pain is stopping you doing normal activities or affecting your sleep. the pain is getting worse or keeps coming back. the pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks. you have hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking up.
Stage 1: Minor wear and tear of the hip joints and minor bone spurs, often with little to no pain. Stage 2: The cartilage begins to break down, and bone spur growths are often visible on X-rays. Symptoms include pain, discomfort and stiffness in the hip. This stage is also called mild hip osteoarthritis.
Resting, applying ice or heat to the affected area, stretching and strengthening exercises, using over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and wearing supportive shoes are all effective methods for relieving hip pain.
Stiffness
Difficulty putting your shoes or socks on is a common sign of stiffness in your hip, especially if one foot is more difficult than the other. You may also start to feel your hip joint clicking, popping or grinding in ways which impair your normal range of movement.
It can cause pain, achiness, stiffness and swelling, and limit your range of motion. Hip osteoarthritis can also lead to pain in the groin area or buttocks, or even on the inside of the knee or thigh.
Recovery. With proper care, most people begin to feel better quickly, with symptoms resolving in six to 10 weeks. Physical activities should be resumed gradually, so the problem doesn't recur.
A hip X-ray can help doctors find the cause of limping, pain, tenderness, swelling, or deformity in the hip area. It can show broken bones or a dislocated joint.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should consult an orthopedic physician: Hip pain that has been present for more than a month. Hip pain that radiates to the groin. Hip and groin pain when sitting, driving, walking, sleeping or exercising.
Osteoarthritis. This is a very common cause of a daily, dull pain in the hip. With osteoarthritis, your joints become stiff and swollen due to inflammation and breakdown of cartilage, causing pain and deformity.
Diagnosis of hip bursitis
Your doctor might order imaging tests such as x-ray, MRIs, ultrasounds, or bone scans. Ultrasound and MRI specifically are used to confirm the diagnosis when the bursae are too deep for regular inspection.
Exercise shouldn't make your existing hip pain worse overall. However, practicing new exercises can sometimes cause short term muscle pain as the body gets used to moving in new ways. This kind of pain should ease quickly and your pain should be no worse the morning after you've exercised.
“The simplest way to understand the difference between hip bursitis and hip osteoarthritis is to understand where the pain is coming from,” says Dr. Sparling. “When you have hip osteoarthritis, the pain is coming from inside the joint. With hip bursitis, pain is coming from the outside.”