Hip Pain
Diagnosis of hip conditions are usually made following a consultation with your health care professional.
Common Hip Conditions
Osteoarthritis (Hip)
Hip osteoarthritis is a natural degenerative process where the cartilage that spaces a joint starts to change and thin over time, meaning the bones get closer together, and can occur in any joint in the body. Osteoarthritis is a part of the normal ageing process and is most commonly seen in people over the age of 40.
Hip Osteoarthritis can also be impacted by your occupation or your sporting hobbies. Past injury/trauma to your hip such as a fracture, dislocation, or infection can also impact osteoarthritis.
OASIS group
The Osteoarthritis self-management and independent-living support (OASIS) group is a programme with appropriate and progressive exercise at its core, alongside key education about OA to heighten your confidence in self-management through learning and understanding to create a holistic approach to treatment. This programme is now available in the community in certain locations. Speak to a health care professional to find out if the OASIS Group is available in your area.
Download the OASIS guidebook for help and advice on managing osteoarthritis. Watch the video below for more information about OASIS in the community.
Decision support tool – Hip osteoarthritis
Decision support tools, also called patient decision aids, support shared decision making by making treatment, care and support options explicit. They provide evidence-based information about the associated benefits/harms and help patients to consider what matters most to them in relation to the possible outcomes, including doing nothing.
These decision support tools are designed to support shared decision making between people and a clinician. People may find they are useful before, during or between consultations depending on their care pathway. For more information, you can download the Decision Support Tool for Hip Osteoarthritis.
- Limited function in daily tasks
- Pain in the groin, side of the hip and/or down the front of the thigh to the knee
- Reduced movement of the hip joint
- Pain is worse with or after activity
- Stiffness worse with inactivity
- Symptoms can flare or settle with changing seasons
- Increased symptoms when putting shoes or socks on the affected side
- Walking or standing for longer periods
- Increased symptoms getting in or out of the car
The primary aim of treatment is to help manage your pain. This allows you to move more and help you return to normal activities sooner. Initial treatment therefore is aimed at pain control. This might involve pain medication, or the use of heat or cold treatments. Once your pain is under control, working on the movement and strength of your hip is what will help long term.
You can help to reduce pain, ease stiffness, strengthen your muscles and improve overall general fitness by keeping active. Below are some basic exercises specific to your hip to get you started.
Exercises
It is normal to experience some discomfort when doing exercises, and individuals may start at different points. Pain should not increase excessively during or immediately after the activity. Discomfort should return to pre-activity levels 24-48 hours after the activity has finished.
The number (reps) and frequency (sets) of exercises suggested here are a guide, and should be performed to your personal tolerable pain levels. This means repetitions will vary between individuals and you should only go as far as is reasonably comfortable for you.
Stand straight holding a chair or table. Bend your affected leg, bringing your knee up in front of you. Control the movement as you lower back down. Repeat the movement, making sure you do not lean your body, or hitch your pelvis up as you lift your leg.
Hold on to a table or work surface and stand straight. Keep your affected leg straight as you lift it out behind you, then slowly return it to the start position. Make sure you keep your body upright throughout this exercise.
Stand straight, holding a chair or table for balance. Keeping your affected leg straight, slowly move it out to the side. Control the leg as you bring it back in to the starting position, and then repeat the movement. Make sure you do not lean your body or hitch your hip up as you move your leg.
Unless you have a serious injury or have sudden continuous severe pain, you can usually treat your hip pain without having to see your doctor. If after 2 weeks of treating yourself you feel the pain isn’t any better or is worsening, you should see a Health Care Professional.
You should also see a Health Care Professional if you:
- Have pain that doesn’t show any signs of improvement, within a couple of weeks of self help
- Have pain that has rapidly deteriorated or suddenly worsened despite self help
- Have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your legs or feet
- Develop sudden stiffness in the hip resulting in a complete loss of movement
- Are noticing changes to your balance or walking pattern
- Are feeling clumsy or are falling more often
- Have a history of inflammatory arthritis, immuno-suppression, cancer, Tuberculosis (TB), drug abuse, AIDS or other infection
- Feel unwell, have a fever, or unexplained weight loss
- Are experiencing significant and regular changes to your usual sleeping pattern
- Have a history of recent injury (e.g. from a road traffic accident or a fall) or a history of hip surgery
- Have a new and visible deformed or misshapen hip or leg
If you do not have any of the above, you may be able to effectively self-manage your condition.
Outer Hip Pain/Lateral Hip Pain
Lateral hip pain is a condition where pain is felt on the outside of your hip bone and can sometimes run down your thigh and into your knee.
It has also been known as; trochanteric bursitis, greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) and more recently gluteal tendinopathy.
This condition can affect anyone at any age but is much more common from middle age onwards.
It is thought to be caused due to irritation of the tendons where they attach to the top of the leg. Often an umbrella term of tendinopathy is used (see our Tendinopathy information leaflet for more information). Irritation to the tendons is usually caused by a change in the amount or type of exercise or activity you do. For example taking up running, or starting a new gym class. It can also be caused by increased pressure from lying on a hard surface.
The most common symptoms of lateral hip pain are:
- Pain to the outer hip bone and occasionally down into the outer thigh
- Painful when lying on either side
- Pain on activities such as walking, running, climbing stairs
- Pain when getting up after sitting/driving for a while
- Pain on sitting or standing crossed legged
The primary aim of treatment is to help manage your pain. This allows you to move more and help you return to normal activities sooner. Initial treatment therefore is aimed at pain control. This might involve pain medication, or the use of heat or cold treatments.
Limit activities, movements and positions that aggravate the area. Common irritable habits are crossing your legs when sitting, lying on either side and standing with weight biased on one leg.
If you do lie on your side place a pillow between your legs.
Once your pain is under control, working on the movement and strength of your hip is what will help long term.
You can help to reduce pain, ease stiffness, strengthen your muscles and improve overall general fitness by keeping active. Below are some basic exercises specific to your hip to get you started.
Exercises
It is normal to experience some discomfort when doing exercises, and individuals may start at different points. Pain should not increase excessively during or immediately after the activity. Discomfort should return to pre-activity levels 24-48 hours after the activity has finished.
The number (reps) and frequency (sets) of exercises suggested here are a guide, and should be performed to your personal tolerable pain levels. This means repetitions will vary between individuals and you should only go as far as is reasonably comfortable for you.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your bellybutton towards your spine and clench your buttock muscles to roll the tail bone up off the floor. The majority of the effort should come from your abdominal and buttock muscles. Your lower back should press firmly into the floor. Relax and repeat.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your buttock muscles and lift your hips up into the bridge position. Make sure you keep your hips up and level throughout the movement.
Lie on your good side, making sure there is a straight line from your head, through your trunk, down your legs to your toes. Straighten your legs and pull the toes up towards you. Raise the top leg straight up, then control the motion back down. Ensure your leg goes directly up, as though sliding up and down a wall.
Unless you have a serious injury or have sudden continuous severe pain, you can usually treat your hip pain without having to see your doctor. It is common for the treatment of lateral hip pain to take 12 months or more to fully settle.
You should see a Health Care Professional if you:
- Have pain that doesn’t show any signs of improvement, within a couple of weeks of self help
- Have pain that has rapidly deteriorated or suddenly worsened despite self help
- Have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your legs or feet
- Develop sudden stiffness in the hip resulting in a complete loss of movement
- Are noticing changes to your balance or walking pattern
- Are feeling clumsy or are falling more often
- Have a history of inflammatory arthritis, immuno-suppression, cancer, Tuberculosis (TB), drug abuse, AIDS or other infection
- Feel unwell, have a fever, or unexplained weight loss
- Are experiencing significant and regular changes to your usual sleeping pattern
- Have a history of recent injury (e.g. from a road traffic accident or a fall) or a history of hip surgery
- Have a new and visible deformed or misshapen hip
If you do not have any of the above, you may be able to effectively self-manage your condition
Hip Impingement (FAI)
Hip impingement also known as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a common hip complaint. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, because the ball-like top of your thigh bone (Femur) fits into a cup-like area within your pelvis (Acetabulum)
There are two main types of FAI. The first is caused by a deformity of the femoral head (ball). The second, occurs when the acetabulum (cup) is abnormally shaped. This causes the hip not to glide / track normally, irritating the soft tissues around the hip causing pain and swelling to develop.
Although for many people, the abnormal shape is thought to have been present since birth there is a possibility these changes occur over time.
FAI can also be affected by your occupation or your sporting hobbies, past injury/trauma to your hip such as a fracture, dislocation, or infection and the muscular control you have around your hip.
Diagnosis is usually made from a consultation with your Health Care Professional, involving a detailed history of the onset of symptoms, current pattern of symptoms and your current functional ability.
- Pain in the groin / front of the thigh
- Stiffness in the groin / front of the thigh
- Reduced ability to bend the hip at the waist (knee to chest)
- Pain is worse with or after activity
- Stiffness worse with inactivity
- Increased symptoms when putting shoes or socks on the affected side
- Walking or standing for longer periods
- Increased symptoms getting in or out of the car
The primary aim of treatment is to help manage your pain. This allows you to move more and help you return to normal activities sooner. Initial treatment therefore is aimed at pain control. This might involve pain medication, or the use of heat or cold treatments.
Limit activities, movements and positions that aggravate the area. Common irritable habits are crossing your legs when sitting, lying on either side and standing with weight biased on one leg.
If you do lie on your side place a pillow between your legs.
Once your pain is under control, working on the movement and strength of your hip is what will help long term.
You can help to reduce pain, ease stiffness, strengthen your muscles and improve overall general fitness by keeping active. Below are some basic exercises specific to your hip to get you started.
Exercises
It is normal to experience some discomfort when doing exercises, and individuals may start at different points. Pain should not increase excessively during or immediately after the activity. Discomfort should return to pre-activity levels 24-48 hours after the activity has finished.
The number (reps) and frequency (sets) of exercises suggested here are a guide, and should be performed to your personal tolerable pain levels. This means repetitions will vary between individuals and you should only go as far as is reasonably comfortable for you.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your bellybutton towards your spine and clench your buttock muscles to roll the tail bone up off the floor. The majority of the effort should come from your abdominal and buttock muscles. Your lower back should press firmly into the floor. Relax and repeat.
Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Ensure you point your knees and toes directly up to the ceiling. Exhale and tighten your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, stabilising your trunk and your pelvis. Simultaneously slide one heel along the floor towards your buttock. Hold this position as you inhale. Exhale and slide the foot back down to the starting position. Make sure your knee continues to point directly up to the ceiling throughout this entire movement.
Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet on the floor and your knees at hips-width apart. Initiate the core stability muscles, then gradually drop one knee out to the side. The aim of this exercise is to keep the pelvis level, and the stationary leg still. Imagine headlights on each hip bone pointing directly up to the ceiling. Do not allow these headlights to rotate from this point. Control the movement as you bring the knee back in, and repeat with the other leg.
Unless you have a serious injury or have sudden continuous severe pain, you can usually treat your hip pain without having to see your doctor. If after 2 weeks of treating yourself you feel the pain isn’t any better or is worsening, you should see a Health Care Professional.
You should also see a Health Care Professional if you:
- Have pain that doesn’t show any signs of improvement, within a couple of weeks of self help
- Have pain that has rapidly deteriorated or suddenly worsened despite self help
- Have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your legs or feet
- Develop sudden stiffness in the hip resulting in a complete loss of movement
- Are noticing changes to your balance or walking pattern
- Are feeling clumsy or are falling more often
- Have a history of inflammatory arthritis, immuno-suppression, cancer, Tuberculosis (TB), drug abuse, AIDS or other infection
- Feel unwell, have a fever, or unexplained weight loss
- Are experiencing significant and regular changes to your usual sleeping pattern
- Have a history of recent injury (e.g. from a road traffic accident or a fall) or a history of hip surgery
- Have a new and visible deformed or misshapen hip or leg
If you do not have any of the above, you may be able to effectively self-manage your condition.
Use the links below for more detailed information
We are all individuals, "one size does not fit all", the links below may offer more detailed information and advice, but may not be suitable for everyone.
- Information on hip pain (NHS Website)
- Information on hip pain (Versus Arthritis Website)
- Pilates exercise video for arthritis (NHS Website)
- Information for people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal or rheumatological conditions (Pier Online)
