Causes of Hip Pain | Rejuvinix
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Causes Of Hip Pain

Causes of Hip Pain

Without a fully functional hip bone, it would be impossible to stand, walk, run, or dance. When you suffer from chronic hip pain, and certain daily activities become troublesome, it can feel as if your entire life is being put on hold.

The hips are large, weight-bearing, multiaxial joints, also referred to as ball-and-socket joints, because of how the spherical thigh bone sits inside the hollow socket of the pelvis. When you use your hip, a cushion of cartilage helps prevent friction as the hip bone moves in its socket. Despite its durability, the hip joint isn’t indestructible. With age and use, the cartilage can wear down and become damaged, the muscles and tendons can get overused, and the hip bone itself can be fractured during a fall or other injury.

What’s Causing My Hip Pain?

If your hips are sore and stiff, here are a few conditions that might be causing your discomfort:

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are among the most common causes of hip pain, especially in older adults. Osteoarthritis occurs when inflammation and injury to a joint cause a breaking down of cartilage tissue. This breakdown of cartilage causes pain, swelling, and deformity. Individuals with arthritis also feel stiffness and have reduced range of motion in the hip.

Trochanteric bursitis

Bursae are small, jelly-like sacs located throughout the body, including around the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and heel. Bursae contain a small amount of fluid and sit between bones and soft tissues, acting as cushions to help reduce friction. Trochanteric bursitis is a common problem that causes inflammation of the bursa over the outside of the hip joint. It causes degeneration of the soft tissues that surround the muscles and bones of the hip. The pain occurs at the point of the hip and usually extends to the outside of the thigh area.

Tendonitis

Hip tendonitis is painful inflammation or irritation of a tendon in the hip. A tendon is a thick band of tissue that connects muscles to bones. When a tendon becomes inflamed, irritated or swollen, it can cause immense pain. Tendonitis can be caused either by injury or overuse of the tendons.

Muscle or tendon strain

Repeated activities can put strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the hips. A hip strain occurs when one of the muscles supporting the hip joint is stretched beyond its limit or torn. Hip strains may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the injury. While anyone can experience a hip strain just from daily tasks, strains often occur during sport activities.

Labral tears

A hip labral tear involves the ring of cartilage (labrum) that follows the outside rim of your hip joint socket. The labrum cushions the hip joint and acts like a rubber seal to help hold the ball at the top of the thigh bone securely within the hip socket. When the labrum tears, often in athletes and ballerinas, it can cause pain in the hip or groin and limits movement, creating a sensation that the hip is locking, catching or clicking.

Contact us

At Rejuvinix, our doctors perform non-surgical joint therapies including, regenerative cell therapy and advanced Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. If you are experiencing hip pain, call (757) 345-2318 or make an appointment online.

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