Hip Pain: Causes

What causes hip pain?

Hip pain can be caused by an injury, disorder, disease or condition of the hip or another area of the body. Hip pain can develop in high-performing athletes who injure themselves performing vigorous exercise. Conversely, it can also be due to obesity and inactivity. Hip pain is particularly common and significant in seniors because it can be a symptom of osteoarthritis of the hip or a hip fracture.

Injuries that can cause hip pain

Hip pain can arise from the following injuries to the hip and other areas:

• Falling

• Groin pull

• Hip dislocation

• Hip dysplasia

• Hip fracture

• Hip muscle strain

• Pelvic fracture

• Pinched nerves

• Thigh muscle strain

Diseases and disorders that can cause hip pain

Hip pain can be caused by the following diseases and conditions:

• Ankylosing spondylitis (inflammation of joints in the spine and pelvis)

• Bone cancer

• Bursitis (inflammation of a bursa sac that cushions a joint)

• Cancer from another part of the body that has spread to the hip area (metastatic cancer)

• Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI; hip joint damage caused by too much friction)

• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (also known as Perthes disease; a temporary loss of blood supply to the hip that occurs in children)

• Osteoarthritis (type of arthritis characterized by degeneration of the cartilage and bone in the joints)

• Osteonecrosis of the hip (loss of blood flow to the head of the femur, resulting in tissue death)

• Osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of the bones)

• Rheumatoid arthritis (chronic autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation)

• Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (a shift of the hip bones that occurs in adolescents)

• Tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon)

What are the potential complications of hip pain?

The complications of untreated or poorly controlled hip pain vary depending on the underlying injury, disease, disorder or condition. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of chronic hip pain or underlying causes of hip pain include:

• Deterioration and deformity of the hip joint

• Development of bone spurs

• Difficulty walking and disability

• Permanent loss of mobility

• Spread of cancer (metastasis)