Hip Pain

Are You Experiencing Hip Pain due to Injury or Chronic Overuse?

The orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine experts at Westchester Sport and Spine are here to help you with your hip pain. With 40 years of combined experience diagnosing hip pain and treating hip injuries, the fellowship trained specialists at Westchester Sport and Spine provide you with the highest level of care for surgical and non-surgical hip procedures.

About Your Hips

Your hips are the largest ball-and-socket joint in your body. Your hip joints provide you with a full range of motion allowing for you to walk or run, among other physical activities.

Your hip joint is formed by the meeting of two major bones; your hip bone and your femur. The ends of each of the bones are covered in a protective cartilage that provides a smooth surface for the bones to glide on during movement.

This protective cartilage also acts as a shock absorber to prevent the bones from hitting one another. Your hip joints are covered by ligaments that provide support and prevent dislocation. Your hip joints also gain strength from a number of surrounding muscles.

The hip joint is designed to handle high levels of wear and tear, but is susceptible to sudden and chronic injuries.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

There are three main causes of hip pain; a sudden injury, a medical condition or chronic overuse.

Hip pain is not always directly felt in the hip joint or caused by an issue with your hip. Pain in or injury to your upper leg, groin, buttocks and low back region can alter hip function.

The most common reasons for hip pain are due to a muscle or ligament strain. In cases where extreme trauma occurs, a hip fracture or hip dislocation is possible. Arthritis or osteoarthritis attributed to everyday wear on the joint are also causes of hip pain.

To be certain of the reason for your hip pain, contact the orthopedic surgeons at Westchester Sport and Spine for specific diagnosis of your hip pain.

Commonly Treated Hip Conditions

Hip pain is a common complaint that can have causes which may not be due to an underlying disease. The hip joint is where the femur joins the pelvis at the acetabulum. Cartilage covers both the femur and the acetabulum. When these parts endure trauma or begin to wear down, it can cause pain, swelling, and discomfort.

  • Arthritis: the wearing down of the cartilage of the bones gradually worsens with time, causing pain, swelling, and inflammation.
  • Bursitis: a painful condition involving inflammation of the bursa in the hip. The two major bursae in the hip become irritated and inflamed, causing pain and difficulty walking.
  • Clicking of the Hip: this is commonly called “snapping hip syndrome.” It is also known as “coxa saltans” or “dancer’s hip.” This movement can be when the person is walking and causes pain and discomfort.
  • Fractured Hip: a fractured hip involves a break in the upper quarter of the femur bone. The extent of the damage depends on the number of forces involved. This injury requires surgery.
  • Collateral Ligament Injury: this is a common sports injury involving sprains or tears in the knee ligaments, called the medial collateral ligament and the lateral collateral ligament.
  • Dislocated Hip: this occurs when the femur is forced out of its socket in the pelvis. This is generally a traumatic injury which requires acute force.
  • Femoral Acetabular Impingement: this condition involves an extra bone growing along one of both bones forming the hip joint, giving the bones an odd or irregular shape.
  • Gluteus Medius Tear: tendonitis or tears of the gluteus medius often occur after an acute injury or with long-term wear and tear, causing pain and weakness on the outside of the hip.
  • Groin Strains: this occurs when the muscles surrounding the inner thigh or front of the hip are stretched or torn. This injury makes walking, lifting the knee, or otherwise operating the leg difficult and painful.
  • Hip Dislocation: this is an unusual injury which often occurs as a result of severe trauma. The hip may be swollen, painful, or visibly out of place.
  • Hip Dysplasia: the most commonly diagnosed cause of hip arthritis in adults before the age of 50. This is when the hip socket doesn’t fully cover the upper portion of the femur, causing it to become partially or fully dislocated.
  • Hip Flexor Strain: this injury can occur when the hip flexor muscles are pulled, strained, torn, or otherwise injured. It can be caused by long periods of overuse or by sitting in awkward positions.
  • Hip Fractures: a break in the hip generally occurs as a result of trauma in the upper quarter of the femur. The extent of the damage depends on the level of trauma received.
  • Hip Instability: a loose or wobbly hip joint, generally caused by problems with the ligaments, such as by injury or overuse.
  • Labral Tear: this injury involves a tear or injury to the fibrocartilage attached to the socket of the femur, attached to the femur.
  • Osteoarthritis: the most common form of arthritis, which involves the gradual wear and tear of the cartilage covering the ends of the bone.
  • Piriformis Syndrome: this is an uncommon neuromuscular disorder, caused when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve.
  • Popping on the Hip: this is a sensation you can feel or hear in the hip while walking or otherwise operating your leg. This sensation occurs when a muscle or tendon moves over a bony protrusion in the hip.
  • Snapping Hip Syndrome: also called “coxa saltans”, “iliopsoas tendinitis”, or “dancer’s hip.”  This condition is characterized by a snapping sensation in the hip when it is flexed or extended.

Hip Pain Treatment Options

The majority of hip conditions and injuries are effectively treated with medications, rest and physical therapy. More often than not, hip surgery is not necessary to treat your hip pain.

If surgery is needed, the sports medicine specialists and orthopedic doctors at Westchester Sport and Spine are experts in the latest minimally invasive procedures.

The main treatment options for your hip pain include:

  • Avoiding activities that make your symptoms worse
  • Using ice packs
  • Painkillers
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Physiotherapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Surgery (in some cases)

Call Us Immediately

If your hip pain is caused by an injury and is accompanied by any of the symptoms below, please call Westchester Sport and Spine immediately and then ask someone to drive you to our clinic.

  • Your hip appears deformed
  • Inability to use your hips or move
  • Intense pain
  • Sudden swelling