What you need to know if you have hip pain

It can be alarming to realize that you have had hip pain for a little too long. After all, most people know someone who has had a hip replacement, and it is easy to conclude that this is the only solution. According to the American College of Rheumatology, 544,000 hip replacements are performed annually in the United States, and a 2020 study found that hip pain affects 10% of the general population and increases with age.

But like any joint, there can be a wide variety of problems with the hip – and it’s not a condition that only affects older people. Dr. Derek Ochiai, a board-certified arthroscopic hip surgeon and sports medicine physician at Nirschl Orthopedic Center in Arlington, Virginia, said there are several hip problems that also affect younger people. In fact one 2023 study reported that 22% to 55% of people who report hip pain have a labral tear, a condition that affects the hip socket that Ochiai often treats in younger people.

It can be easy to dismiss hip pain as an inevitability of growing older. But Ochiai emphasized that this is the one thing he wouldn’t do if he were personally dealing with a hip problem.

If you have pain for more than a few weeks, it’s time to see a doctor.

“Don’t ignore it. If you’re a young patient and you can’t sit in the car for 30 minutes at a time, or if you’re walking down a hallway and find yourself making a turn by taking small steps and not turning, that’s not normal.” he said. “That could be a fixable, treatable hip condition.”

Pain when sitting, driving or having sex could be a hip joint problem that needs to be evaluated, Ochiai added. Delaying it puts you at risk for arthritis, especially if you’ve suffered from: labral tearcausing damage to the tissue that holds the ball and socket joint together. These tears are usually “atraumatic,” meaning you may not even know when it happened, and not from a sudden injury, like “being tackled by a 300-pound lineman,” he explained.

He cited a Danish study that analyzed patients with hip pain over ten years. In those who had hip pain with impingement (a marker for having a labral tear), the risk of developing arthritis within 10 years after they started having pain was 26 times higher than for the general population. Another one 2023 study further confirmed that a labral tear increased the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

If you imagine a pelvic bone, there are many places where you can have pain, whether in your hips or not. So first try to find out whether you actually have hip pain or whether it is caused by something else. For example, back and hip pain often occur together.

“The central problem is that not all hip pain clearly comes from the hip. What
What we typically think of as hip pain, or pain located on the side of the hip, may actually come from the hip, the muscles around the hip, or joints adjacent to the hip, including the lower back and SI [sacroiliac] joint,” said Dr. Rahul Shah, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon.

You can usually identify hip pain when a deep flexion hurts, such as when you do something more intense, like a squat, Ochiai said. You may also experience general pain when sitting, if you happen to bend your hip.

“Some people have very deep chairs, where the knees go up to their waist, and then say they can’t get through the workday because it’s difficult to sit for so long,” he explained. “A quick fix is ​​to either raise your chair and sit forward on the chair so you don’t hyperflex your hip, or grab a pillow or cushion and sit on it to elevate your legs.”

Some other symptoms include “difficulty standing on the affected leg, difficulty putting on socks or shoes and difficulty clipping toenails,” Shah said.

Ochiai also said there’s a “quick and dirty way” to tell if you might have a hip problem: “Lie on your back and grab the front of your knee with both hands, and pull that knee toward your chest.” Then have someone take a picture of how close your knee is to your chest. Then do it again on the other side. If there is a clear difference, it is not just tight muscles.”

Yoga, Pilates, strengthening exercises and anything that improves your abdominal strength can help your hip, Ochiai said. His rehabilitation protocols for patients after hip surgery include abdominal and back exercises.

“Hip and back problems go together like peanut butter and jelly, so improving back strength can relieve and even improve your hip pain,” he said.

Strengthening your glutes is also key to improving hip pain. Ochiai recommended performing exercises such as hamstring stretches (like touching your toes) and bodyweight squats.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of stretching. Shah said hip flexor stretches, along with knee and ankle mobility exercises, can help achieve a full, painless range of motion.

These methods, combined with a visit to a doctor for a more thorough examination, will make your hips thank you.