Hip pain is like an uninvited guest that, once in our home, stubbornly refuses to leave. When it first arrives, it’ll feel like a mild ache after a long walk, and before you know it, it will begin to affect your quality of life itself. Sitting, standing, and sleeping – that pain will stick with you through it all.

But there’s nothing more frustrating about hip pain than how it is very difficult to understand and diagnose. The pain may stem from your joint, the muscles around it, maybe the nerves, or even somewhere else entirely, and you’d never be able to figure it out accurately on your own.

This is precisely where getting a diagnosis from a good doctor comes into play. So let’s understand how the culprits behind hip pain are identified, and what you need to do once you finally have the answers you need.

What causes hip pain?

The first thing you need to know about the hip joint is that it is one of the most complex parts of our body. It carries a huge amount of weight, allows movement in multiple directions, and relies on cartilage, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves to function well. So when even one of these parts gets damaged, you’ll experience hip pain.

Now, the first condition you’ll find yourself pointing to is osteoarthritis, wherein the cartilage of the hip joint wears down over time. This is actually one of the most common causes of hip pain, and it is just as common in adults. But at the same time, it doesn’t affect only older adults either, so don’t rule this out completely if you’re still young. Another common cause of hip pain among adults is bursitis, which occurs when the small sacs called bursae that cushion our joints become inflamed.

Your hip pain may also originate from tendon problems such as tendinitis or tendon tears. This can also lead to persistent discomfort, especially after overuse or a sudden increase in activity. Similar to this are muscle strains from quick or jerky movement, labral tears in the socket part of the joint, fractures from trauma, and conditions like hip impingement, where our bones stop moving together as smoothly as they used to.

So, yes, there are way too many things that can cause hip pain. But to make matters worse, there is even a chance your hip pain isn’t hip pain at all, but something sneaking in from elsewhere. Things like slipped discs, nerve compression, or issues in the pelvis can all cause pain that feels as though it originates in the joint, which only adds to the confusion.

All that is to say, if you’re struggling with hip pain at present, try not to diagnose and treat the problem on your own. You can never truly tell what your pain’s root cause is, so it is best to book an appointment with a good hip surgeon in London. Only they can tell you more about your situation and guide you on the next steps.

Different causes, different symptoms

While many hip conditions feel similar, there are still patterns doctors look for when diagnosing the root cause. The location of your pain is the first hint here. For instance, deep groin pain is typically caused by arthritis or a labral tear. But pain on the outside of the hip, especially if it worsens when lying on one side, is a telltale sign of bursitis. Pain that runs down your thigh or into your buttocks is usually caused by nerve compression or referred pain from the lower back. If you’re experiencing stiffness and a reduced range of motion, especially when getting out of bed in the morning, it may be arthritis. Last but not least, sudden, sharp pain after a fall or injury suggests a fractured bone or structural damage. Aside from the location of your pain, doctors will also focus on how it behaves. In other words, they’ll try to figure out whether it worsens or improves with activity or at a specific time of day, whether it’s constant or intermittent, etc.

What to expect during a hip pain diagnosis?

When you first walk into a clinic for a hip pain diagnosis, the first thing you’ll go through is a detailed discussion with your doctor. This discussion will cover a lot of things: how the pain started, how it has changed over time, your current activity level, your job, your past medical history, your family history, and what makes the pain better or worse.

After this, you’ll be going through a physical examination. The doctor will notice how you stand and walk, they’ll assess your hip’s range of motion, and will guide your legs into specific positions to see what triggers the pain or stiffness. By this point, the doctor should have a basic idea of what could be causing your hip pain. But to concretely identify the problem, you’ll need to get a few more tests.

So next up on the list will likely be a couple of imaging tests. The first one you’ll undergo is an X-ray, which will allow the doctor to assess your bone and joint structure, as well as signs of early arthritis or fractures. If the X-ray proves insufficient, the next one you’ll get is an MRI, which can be particularly helpful for evaluating tissues such as cartilage, tendons, muscles, and the labrum. If even that proves insufficient, you may even need to get an ultrasound to check for conditions like bursitis. While less common, doctors may order a blood test after imaging to check for infection, inflammatory arthritis, or other systemic conditions. But by this point, the doctor will know for sure what you are currently struggling with.

How is hip pain treated once diagnosed?

How a hip pain is treated often comes down to its true culprit. But in most cases, you’ll need to first start with a routine of conservative treatments to keep the pain in check. This may include physiotherapy for strengthening muscles, activity modifications, and a few anti-inflammatory medicines. It may also involve corticosteroid injections to reduce inflammation at the source and allow the conservative treatment to progress more smoothly.

However, if things don’t get any better with these methods, your next step should be to discuss surgical options with your doctor. This can range from minimally invasive procedures to full hip replacement in cases of advanced arthritis. While this may sound scary and risky on paper, please note that, thanks to medical advancements, these interventions are safer than ever before and have high success rates. If you go for surgery, you relax knowing that you’ll be in good hands and that there is a very high chance you’ll come out of the procedure much better than before.

When should you seek help immediately?

If you’re already in pain, please remember that not all hip pain can wait. There are a few red flags you need to look out for that warrant urgent and emergency treatment. For one, if you’re experiencing sudden, sharp pain after a fall or accident, please do not wait for it to get better; get yourself checked right away. It could be a fracture that, if left untreated, will only make matters unbelievably worse.

If your hip pain is accompanied by fever and chills, this is a medical emergency – chances are that your joint is infected, and it needs to be checked by a professional as soon as possible. In a similar vein, any unexplained pain accompanied by swelling or redness around the buttocks should not be ignored. If you delay care in such a situation, you could be looking at permanent joint damage that is sure to harm your quality of life.

What you need to do right away

If you had to take only one thing from all of this, it should be this: hip pain is not something to struggle with on your own. It is too complex a joint, and the overlap between conditions is too great for a misfire to happen. Things like stretching, resting, or just pushing through the pain may only worsen things for you.

So, your first step is to understand the various causes of hip pain – if you’ve read this far, you’re done with this step already. Your next step should be to seek professional help, as you remember: the right diagnosis at the right time can save you months of frustration and guide you on the right path to recovery. To protect your quality of life going forward, take that first step and get started today.