4 Common Culprits Behind Hip Pain

Each of your joints is important, but those major joints that, literally, carry you through life are even more so. Unfortunately, it’s these joints that are often the ones that give you the most trouble, such as your knees and hips.

For example, the prevalence of hip pain in the general population is about 10%, and this number continues to rise around the globe as the population increases and ages.

As specialists who help with a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, our team at Revive Spine and Pain Center wants to dive into hip pain here — more specifically, some of the common causes of this problem.

Hip osteoarthritis

One of the main reasons the prevalence of hip pain increases with age is due to degenerative issues, and osteoarthritis (OA) leads the charge. About 33 million Americans have OA, and the hip is one of the joints most commonly affected.

With OA, the protective cartilage that covers the bones in your joints begins to break down. When this happens, you develop loose bodies in your joint, such as pieces of cartilage and bone, which can lead to discomfort. 

Even worse is that without cartilage, the bones in your hip can rub together, and this friction can lead to joint pain and inflammation, which are the hallmarks of OA.

Femoroacetabular impingement 

Your hips are large ball-and-socket joints that rely on bones that fit and glide together smoothly. With femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), the bones don't fit together well, often due to extra bone growth, which can lead to ongoing pain and discomfort in the joint.

Making matters even worse, people with FAI often develop labral tears. The labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket to keep the femoral head in place.

Hip bursitis

Your body contains about 160 small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae, which are designed to prevent friction between hard and soft tissues in your body. There are two sets of bursae in your hips, and if any of them become irritated, it can lead to painful inflammation. 

Called hip bursitis, this is a fairly common condition and is often the result of overuse or poor biomechanics.

Hip dysplasia

Some hip issues are ones that you’re born with, which describes hip dysplasia. One in every 1,000 babies is born with hip dysplasia, a condition in which the ball and socket of the hip joint don’t match up.

In some cases, the issue doesn’t become evident until later in life when complications develop, such as a labrum tear or hip dislocation.

Of course, there are other hip issues, such as acute injuries like hip fractures, but we want to focus on more chronic issues.

To treat these hip problems, we prefer to start out conservatively with non-surgical treatments that include:

• Interventional injections
• Physical therapy
• Neuromodulation
• Regenerative medicine
• Ultrasound therapy
• Acupuncture

Our goal when it comes to hip pain is to not only avoid surgery, but to find treatments that go the distance and provide long-lasting relief.

The first step in figuring out which approach is right for your hip pain is to make an appointment for a comprehensive evaluation.

To get that set up, please contact us at one of our conveniently located offices in Marlton, Hamilton Township, Northfield, or East Brunswick, New Jersey.