Call 000 for severe hip pain with fever or inability to bear weight. Seek prompt medical assessment after a fall or injury, for sudden intense pain, or if you cannot move the hip or leg.
The location does not tell the whole story
Hip-related symptoms may be felt in the groin, outer hip, buttock or thigh. Pain in the area can also be referred from another part of the body. Describe where you feel it and which activities change it, rather than assuming one structure is responsible.
Walking, stairs, sitting, getting out of a chair and sporting movements are useful examples to discuss. Tell the clinician whether symptoms affect one side or both and whether they began after an injury.
Possible explanations
Possible explanations include arthritis, muscle injury, labral problems and symptoms involving tissues around the hip. Healthdirect also describes tendon-related problems, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, fracture and referred pain among possible causes.
These possibilities need to be assessed, not selected from a symptom list. Some require medical investigation. Ask how the clinical findings support the working diagnosis and whether the back or other nearby areas also need assessment.
What your clinician may assess
The history can be combined with observation of walking, movement and physical function. Your clinician may discuss strength, activity demands and previous treatment. Tests or imaging depend on what needs to be clarified.
Explain the goal that matters most to you. Managing a daily walk, returning to running and recovering after surgery create different demands, even when pain is felt in a similar place.
A plan around daily life
Depending on the cause, care may include education, exercise, activity modification and other treatment. Hands-on care may be combined with rehabilitation; the exact combination should follow assessment.
Ask for clear exercise instructions and a plan for progression. Discuss whether a walking aid, medical review or another referral is appropriate. Persistent loss of function or worsening symptoms should prompt reassessment rather than an assumption that more treatment is always the answer.
Prepare for an assessment
Write down when the problem started, what brings it on, what eases it and what has changed. Bring relevant reports and a medicines list. Describe the activities you want to regain, rather than only giving a pain score.
- What is the working diagnosis, and what remains uncertain?
- What findings would change the plan or need medical review?
- What can I do between appointments?
- How will we measure progress and decide whether to change treatment?
Care in Melbourne’s northern suburbs
For people in Epping, Mill Park, Lalor, Reservoir and surrounding suburbs, the Muscle Joint Bone team can help arrange an appropriate starting appointment. Confirm current services, practitioner availability and any referral or funding requirements.
Sources and further reading
- Northern Spinal: original hip-pain resource
- Healthdirect: hip pain
General education only. An assessment is needed to determine what applies to you.
