Your hip is a complex joint located between the ball joint of the femur and the pelvic socket joint. Hip pain is a common complaint among residents of Chevy Chase and the rest of the world, and it could stem from a variety of causes. The exact location of your hip pain can provide valuable insight into the underlying cause. Problems affecting the hip joint often cause pain inside your hip or groin. If you have hip pain that affects the outer buttock or inner thigh, it may stem from issues affecting your ligaments, muscles, tendons, or other soft tissues around the hip joint. It may also come about due to a disease or infection or conditions in other body parts, especially the lower back. Regardless of the cause of pain, it would be best if you visit a Chevy Chase hip pain specialist for diagnosis and treatment.
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Causes
Hip pain may come about due to arthritis, injury, or other causes. The most common forms of arthritis that cause hip pain include juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which causes the breakdown of joints, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and septic arthritis. Bursitis, dislocation, hip fracture, hip labral tear, inguinal hernia, sprains, and tendinitis are common injuries that cause hip pain. Pinched nerves caused by sacroiliitis, sciatica, or meralgia paresthetica can also cause hip pain. In addition, some forms of cancer, including advanced metastatic cancer that has gotten to the bones, bone cancer, and leukemia, can manifest themselves in the form of hip pain.
When to See a Doctor
In most cases, you can handle hip pain on your own with different self-care measures. If your hip pain is exceptionally severe or does not go away after a week or two of self-care and pain medication, you should see a doctor. You need to see a doctor immediately if:
- You suffer injury to your hip due to a fall
- The pain gets worse
- You have trouble handling day to day activities such as walking or leaning forwards in a sitting position
- You develop a fever or feel unwell
- You experience unexplained weight loss
Diagnosis
If your hip pain does not improve in two weeks, you need to seek medication. It may help to take some notes about your problem so your doctor can know everything about your condition. Your doctor may ask about your pain and the kind of movements that make it worse. They will also ask about your symptoms, how they started and how they affect your daily activities.
They will examine how well your hip moves to get more information about the ideal treatment plan. You may need further tests to diagnose certain conditions. You may need an X-ray to inspect the state of your bones and pelvis. It can help identify conditions such as a highly shallow socket. MRI scans can help determine any problems affecting the soft tissue inside and around your hip. They can also recommend blood tests to find out if you have any infection.
In summary, hip pain is a common problem that causes pain in your hip or groin. It can come about due to different causes. You should see a doctor if the pain does not disappear after a few weeks or comes with a fever. They can conduct further tests to determine the underlying cause and recommend an ideal treatment plan.