4 Main Reasons You Might Have Hip Pain

Hip pain can be one of the most debilitating types of discomfort. Not only does it limit your mobility, but hip pain can even cause pain while you’re sitting. Ultimately, if you’re living with hip pain, you probably want to figure out how to get rid of it.

Finding effective treatment means identifying the cause of your hip pain so you can address the root of the issue. At Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut, Dr. Halina Snowball works with you to diagnose what’s causing your hip pain so she can develop a personalized, effective treatment plan.

With this goal in mind, let’s explore four of the most common causes of hip pain.

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis lead in terms of hip pain causes. These two types of arthritis affect the joints of your hip in different ways.

Medical experts often refer to osteoarthritis as wear-and-tear arthritis because it develops as your cartilage degenerates through the years. Without this cushioning, the bones in your hip grind against one another, causing pain as you move.

Rheumatoid arthritis develops when your body mistakenly attacks the lining of your joints. This results in inflammation that can cause hip pain.

Labral tears

As evidenced by osteoarthritis, your hip joints rely on cartilage for cushioning. In fact, your body has a specialized ring of cartilage that lines the socket of your hip joints (and your shoulder joints) called the labrum. In addition to cushioning, the labrum also helps to keep your femur secured in the ball-and-socket joint of your hip.

Overuse, injury, or degenerative issues can cause a labral tear that results in hip pain, stiffness, and a loss of stability as you walk. Labral tears can also cause clicking sounds when you move your hip.

Tendinitis

The tendons in your hips work hard to keep your bones and muscles attached as you move. Overuse, especially from repetitive movements, can tax them too much, resulting in inflammation.

Hip tendonitis, or inflammation in the tendons of your hips, is a leading cause of stiff, achy hip pain.

Bursitis

Much like cartilage, your body relies on bursae for cushioning as your hip joint moves. These fluid-filled sacs help your bigger joints glide pain-free as you move. But they can also get inflamed, causing a painful condition called bursitis.

The symptoms of bursitis are fairly similar to those of tendinitis, but you also might notice that your hip looks red or hurts when pressed.

Treating hip pain at the source

Fortunately, Dr. Snowball has experience treating all of these hip pain causes.

What’s more, even if your hip pain comes from something else, Dr. Snowball works with you to find the source of your pain so she can best treat it.

From there, she tailors a hip pain treatment program. Your personalized plan might include some combination of:

Rest
Activity modification
Physical therapy
Medication
Massage therapy
Acupuncture
Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT®)
Regenerative medicine

When you choose Dr. Snowball, you get a partner to join you on your path to less hip pain, greater mobility, and improved quality of life. To take that first step, call our office at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.