Eight common reasons for hip pain

The hip joint can withstand repeated motion as well as a fair amount of wear and tear. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint. It is one of the largest joints in the human body. It fits together in a way that allows for fluid movement, repeated motion, and a fair amount of wear and tear. When a person uses the hip, a cushion of cartilage prevents friction as the hip bone shifts in its socket.

Causes for Hip Pain

In spite of its durability, the hip joint isn’t unbreakable. With age and use, the cartilage in the joint can wear down or become damaged. Tendons and muscles in the hip can get overused. Or the hip bone itself can be fractured during a fall or other injury. Any of these conditions can cause hip pain.

Sometimes pain from other areas of the body can radiate to the hip. These areas could be your back or groin. The pain might get worse with activity, particularly if it’s caused by arthritis. Along with the pain, you might also have to face a reduced range of motion.

If you find your hips sore, here are the eight common reasons that could be causing your hip discomfort.

Hip Arthritis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common causes of hip pain in older adults. Arthritis leads to inflammation of the hip joint. It also causes the breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the hip bones. Osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent causes of hip pain, affecting around twenty-seven million people every day. This usually happens due to age, trauma or other factors. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the hip that cushions the joints start to break down. This break down causes the bones to rub together during movement. This bone-on-bone friction creates pain, stiffness, and loss of movement. If traditional treatments fail, hip replacement surgery is the only option to fix this condition.

Bursitis

Trochanteric bursitis causes inflammation of the bursa. It’s a fluid-filled sac or saclike cavity for countering friction at the outside of the hip joint. Bursa works to reduce friction and cushion the points between the muscles, bones, and tendons. Bursa is located throughout the body. Bursitis causes degeneration of the soft tissues surrounding the bones and muscles of the hip. Rest, ice and pain medications are known to treat the condition.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon, usually caused by repetitive stress from overuse. Tendons are the thick fibrous cords who’s work is to attach muscle to bone. Tendinitis causes pain and tenderness normally just outside a joint. It can occur in any of the tendons present in the human body. But it’s most common around the shoulders, wrists, elbows, knees, and heels.

Osteonecrosis

Osteonecrosis occurs when the blood supply to the bone is cut off. Without blood, the bone tissue dies. After which the bone collapses. Osteonecrosis causes pain or limits physical activity. Anyone can get the disease, but it is most common in people between thirties and sixties, and the condition commonly occurs in the hip joint.

Stress Fracture

A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced fracture. It is caused by repeated stress on a bone over time. Unlike normal fractures that result from a single severe impact, a stress fracture is an outcome of accumulated trauma from repeated sports activities such as running or jumping. Stress fractures of the hip usually occur in athletes who participate in high-impact sports. These include hockey, football or long-distance running.

Muscle Strains

This condition occurs when the muscle is torn or overstretched as a result of fatigue, overuse, or improper use of a muscle. Strains can happen in any muscle. But they’re most common in your lower back, neck, shoulder, hip, and hamstring. Strains of the muscles around the hip and pelvis are the main cause of pain and spasm.

Hip dislocation

A hip dislocation is a disruption of the joint between the femur and pelvis. Specifically, it occurs when the ball-shaped head of the femur comes out of the cup- shaped acetabulum of the pelvis. Symptoms for hip dislocation typically include pain and an inability to move the hip. A blunt force trauma such as a car or bike accident or sports injury can cause hip joint dislocation. Hip dislocation is a very painful injury. It can immobilize the hip joint, making walking for a person near impossible.

Hip labral tear

The labrum is cartilage surrounding the hip joint. A hip labral tear is a rip in the ring of the labrum that follows the outside rim of the socket of the hip joint. The labrum not only cushions the hip joint but also acts like a rubber seal and holds the ball at the top of the thighbone securely within the hip socket. People who perform repetitive twisting movements of the hips are at higher risk of developing a hip labral tear.
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