Hip Pain

Hip pain is common and can be caused by a variety of problems. The location of your pain can aid in the diagnosis. Pain felt on the inside of your hip or groin often indicates a problem within the joint, such as arthritis or injury. Hip pain on the outside of your hip, such as the outer buttock or upper thigh, may indicate a problem with the muscles, ligaments, tendons or nerves surrounding the hip joint (for example, bursitis, sciatica, sacroiliac joint pain or meralgia paresthetica).

Hip pain may improve with conservative treatments such as rest, over-the-counter pain relievers, and intermittent ice or heat. If these self-care treatments do not help, it is usually a sign to make an appointment with your doctor. Depending on the cause of your pain, numerous treatment options are available including medications, physical therapy and targeted injections. Examples of targeted treatments include joint injection for hip arthritis, bursa injection for bursitis and peripheral nerve block for meralgia paresthetica.