Hip pain is not unusual. It’s often a complaint of older adults, although it can affect anyone at any age. Athletes are particularly at risk of hip pain and injuries. About 30-40% of adults who play sports go on to experience chronic hip pain.
Among adults over age 60, about 12-15% have hip pain.
Problems in your hip joint can affect your groin, thigh, or knee. So pain in those parts is also considered a hip pain issue.
There are many reasons why your hip hurts. Board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon James M. Lee, Jr., MD, has extensive experience diagnosing and treating hip pain. Here, we explain the common causes of hip pain and why you shouldn’t live with the pain or ignore it.
Your hip joint is the largest joint in your body. It helps enable most of your lower body movement and can withstand a lot of pressure and motion. But, as a result, it eventually deteriorates.
Hip pain can result from an injury such as a hip fracture or labral tear, overuse and inflammation such as tendinitis and bursitis, or a medical condition such as arthritis.
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, is the most common cause of hip fractures. About 97% of hip replacements are because of hip fractures due to osteoarthritis, and 70% of hip replacements for reasons other than fractures are because of osteoarthritis.
You might think that you should fight through or play through the pain. Big mistake. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. Whether your body needs rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, or something more, pay attention to your pain.
If you ignore the pain, you may end up making your injury worse. The pain can intensify as your injury gets worse, forcing you to miss out on daily activities.
If you address your injury early through noninvasive methods, you may end up saving yourself from surgery. Treatment options can be as easy as activity modification or rest and ice.
So don’t ignore the pain. Instead, get medical advice so you can continue or go back to an active lifestyle without missing a game, practice, or daily life activity.
If you’re experiencing hip pain, call us at our West Orange or Bayonne, New Jersey, office for an appointment with Dr. Lee. You can also request one online through this website. You don’t have to live with hip pain.
