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Why Does My Hip Hurt? Common Causes of Hip Pain and When Chiropractic Care May Help

Hip pain can be frustrating—and sometimes surprisingly difficult to pinpoint.

You may notice it when you first get out of bed, after sitting for a long time, while climbing stairs, during a walk, or even when trying to get comfortable at night. And while it might seem obvious that pain around your hip must be coming from the hip joint itself, that’s not always the case.

Muscles, tendons, joints, the lower back, and even the way different parts of your body move together can all contribute to pain in and around the hip.

So, why does your hip hurt? Let’s look at some common possibilities and where chiropractic care may fit into a conservative approach to hip pain.

Where Is Your Hip Pain?

One of the first clues may be where you feel the discomfort.

Pain toward the front of the hip or groin can sometimes be associated with the hip joint itself. Pain along the outside of the hip may involve muscles, tendons, or other tissues surrounding the joint.

Pain toward the back of the hip or buttock can be more complicated. In some cases, discomfort that feels like “hip pain” may actually be related to the lower back, pelvis, or surrounding structures.

Location alone can’t diagnose the cause, but it’s one reason a proper evaluation can be helpful instead of simply assuming every pain near the hip is the same problem.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

There isn’t one single cause of hip pain. It can develop gradually or appear following an injury, change in activity, or repetitive strain.

Some common possibilities include:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis becomes increasingly common as we age and can affect the hip joint.

Changes within the joint may lead to pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Some people notice that the hip feels particularly stiff after sitting or when they first begin moving.

While conservative care can’t reverse arthritis, managing mobility, strength, activity, and discomfort may help people continue doing more of the things they enjoy.

Muscle and Tendon Irritation

Your hips are surrounded by powerful muscles and tendons that help stabilize the pelvis and move your legs.

Repetitive activity, sudden increases in exercise, physical work, or changes in movement patterns can irritate these tissues.

Sometimes the problem isn’t a dramatic injury. It’s simply the accumulation of stress on an area over time.

Bursitis

Small fluid-filled sacs called bursae help reduce friction around joints. When a bursa around the hip becomes irritated, it can cause pain and tenderness, particularly around the outside of the hip.

People may notice increased discomfort when walking, climbing stairs, standing for extended periods, or lying on the affected side.

Previous Injuries

An old injury can sometimes continue influencing how you move long after the original pain has disappeared.

For example, if you’ve previously injured an ankle, knee, hip, or lower back, you may have temporarily changed the way you walked to protect it. In some cases, altered movement patterns can place different stresses on other parts of the body.

That’s one reason evaluating hip pain may involve looking at more than just the painful spot.

Too Much Sitting

Modern life involves a lot of sitting.

Whether you’re working at a desk, driving, or relaxing at home, spending long periods in the same position can contribute to stiffness around the hips and lower back.

You might feel fine while sitting but notice stiffness or discomfort as soon as you stand up and begin moving.

Regular movement breaks, appropriate exercise, and attention to your workstation and sitting position may help reduce some of that stress.

A Sudden Increase in Activity

Did your hip start hurting after beginning a new workout routine, tackling a big home project, walking significantly more than usual, or returning to an activity you haven’t done for a while?

Sometimes the body simply hasn’t had enough time to adapt to a sudden increase in demand.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stop moving altogether. It may mean your activity needs to be modified while you determine what’s causing the discomfort.

Could Your “Hip Pain” Actually Be Coming From Your Back?

Sometimes, yes.

The lower back, pelvis, hips, and legs don’t function independently from one another. Nerves originating in the lower spine also travel into the hips and legs.

Certain problems involving the lower back can therefore cause pain that is felt in the buttock, hip, or leg rather than exclusively in the back.

This is one reason it’s important to tell your provider about all of your symptoms—not simply point to the spot that hurts the most.

Pain that travels down the leg, numbness, tingling, or weakness may suggest nerve involvement and deserves appropriate evaluation.

When Should Hip Pain Be Evaluated?

Occasional soreness after an unusually active day isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.

However, consider having hip pain evaluated if it:

  • Persists or repeatedly returns
  • Interferes with walking or normal activities
  • Makes it difficult to sleep
  • Is accompanied by significant stiffness or reduced mobility
  • Travels into the leg
  • Is associated with numbness, tingling, or weakness
  • Began following an injury

Sudden severe pain, inability to bear weight, obvious deformity, significant swelling, fever associated with joint pain, or serious symptoms following a fall or accident warrant prompt medical attention.

Can Chiropractic Care Help With Hip Pain?

The answer depends on why your hip hurts.

Chiropractic care isn’t a universal treatment for every type of hip pain. A fracture, infection, severe joint injury, or another medical condition requires appropriate medical treatment.

For certain musculoskeletal causes of hip discomfort, however, chiropractic care may be one component of a conservative treatment plan.

A chiropractor can evaluate how your lower back, pelvis, hips, and surrounding areas are moving and look for factors that may be contributing to discomfort.

Depending on the findings and your individual needs, care may focus on improving mobility, addressing joint or muscular restrictions, and helping the body move more comfortably.

Recommendations may also include exercises, stretches, activity modifications, or other conservative therapies.

Your Hip Doesn’t Work Alone

Think of your body as a connected system.

Your feet contact the ground. Your ankles adapt to it. Your knees and hips transfer forces upward, while your pelvis and spine help support and stabilize your body.

A change somewhere along that chain can sometimes affect another area.

That doesn’t mean every case of hip pain is caused by a spinal problem. It does mean that evaluating the way different areas work together may provide useful information when hip pain keeps returning.

Rather than simply asking, “Where does it hurt?”, it can be useful to also ask, “Why is this area being stressed?”

Keep Moving—But Listen to Your Body

When something hurts, completely avoiding movement can be tempting.

In many musculoskeletal conditions, appropriate movement is an important part of maintaining strength, mobility, and function. The key word is appropriate.

Trying to “push through” significant pain isn’t necessarily the answer, either.

The goal is to understand what’s happening so you can make informed decisions about activity, treatment, and recovery.

Hip Pain Care at Wellness 1st Chiropractic in Austin, MN

If hip pain is making it harder to walk, work, exercise, sleep, or enjoy everyday activities, Wellness 1st Chiropractic in Austin, Minnesota can help you explore what may be contributing to your discomfort.

Dr. Kelly Nesvold and the Wellness 1st team take an individualized approach to chiropractic care. That means looking beyond the location of the pain to consider how the lower back, pelvis, hips, and surrounding areas are functioning together.

When chiropractic care is appropriate, a treatment plan can be tailored to your needs and may incorporate additional conservative therapies offered at Wellness 1st.

And when symptoms suggest that chiropractic care isn’t the appropriate starting point, proper evaluation can help determine when additional medical assessment may be needed.

Don’t Let Hip Pain Keep Slowing You Down

Whether your hip pain appeared recently or has been bothering you for months, understanding what’s causing it is an important first step toward deciding what to do next.

Contact Wellness 1st Chiropractic in Austin, MN to schedule an appointment and find out whether chiropractic care may be an appropriate option for your hip pain.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

 

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