Hip pain

Pain in the hip is the experience of pain in the muscles or joints in the hip/ pelvic region, a condition commonly arising from any of a number of factors. Sometimes it is closely associated with lower back pain.

Common etiologies include:

• Trochanteric bursitis, caused by inflammation of the trochanteric bursa of the outer hip, often affecting both hips
• Arthritis of the hip, degeneration of the hip joint from osteonecrosis, trauma, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, or anatomic anomalies
• Meralgia paresthetica, a chronic neurological disorder of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, most common among those who are pregnant or have diabetes
• Hip avascular necrosis, cell death of bone tissue in the hip joint brought on by vascular occlusion or coagulation which is the result of old age, alcoholism, trauma, decompression sickness, or several other possible causes; the treatment is often total hip replacement
• Occult hip fracture, a fine crack somewhere in the hip socket, common in elderly women and those with osteoporosis, usually only in one hip
• Snapping hip, a condition caused by iliotibial band snap, iliopsoas tendon snap, and hip labral tear, usually only in one hip; may be accompanied by an audible "snap" when the hip joint is moved
• Paget's disease, enlarged or deformed bones of the hip, a genetic disorder; pain is usually in both hips simultaneously
• Malignancy, as cancer in the pelvis or proximal femur may cause pain; usually only one hip is affected
• Primary septic arthritis caused by an infection within the synovial fluid of the hip, a condition rare in adults except for those who are already immunocompromised as well as those who have artificial hips; only one side of the pelvis is affected, onset of pain is rapid
• Transient or accute synovitis or "irritable hip", a condition most common in children, more often in boys than girls, and clearing up on its own within 7-10 days; pain is only on one side
• Sciatica, a condition most often brought on by damage to the L4 or L5 nerve roots but sometimes caused by inflammation or tension in the piriformis muscle of the pelvis (which rests on the sciatic nerve), in which case the condition is called piriformis syndrome; pain usually only occurs in one side but may occur in the other side at other times or (rarely) both sides simultaneously
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction, an uncommon neurological condition of the mostly-immobile sacroiliac joint of the hip brought on by previous trauma to the joint such as an automobile accident; pain will usually be in only one side
• Radiculopathy, a nerve disorder brought on by pressure or irritation of a nerve at its root (i.e., near the spine) often resulting from degeneration of a spinal disc, joint degeneration, or osteoarthritis, among other causes

Pain in the groin, called anterior hip pain, is most often the result of osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, occult fracture, acute synovitis, and septic arthritis; pain on the sides of the hip, called lateral hip pain, is usually caused by bursitis; pain in the buttock, called posterior or gluteal hip pain, which is the least common type of hip pain, is most often caused by sacroiliac joint dysfunction as well as sciatica (whether from a hemorrhaged spinal disk or a tense piriformis muscle). Herpes zoster (shingles) may also cause posterior hip pain.