Hip pain

Alternative names:

pain in the hip

Definition:

Any pain in the hip.

Considerations:

The anatomy of the hip (which is a ball and socket joint) is prone to 2 basic problems.

• The narrow neck of the thigh bone (femur) can break. This is usually what happens when an older person falls and breaks a hip.
• The "ball" part of the femur must get its blood through the narrow neck that joins with the pelvis. The small artery that supplies the head of the femur can close off, leading to death of the bone and a type of arthritis.

Hip pain is often felt in the middle of the thigh, whereas low back pain is often felt in the region of the hip and may radiate down the thigh laterally towards the knee.

Because the hip joint is so deeply located, it can often be difficult to locate the exact source of pain.

Common causes:

• injury or trauma
• aseptic necrosis, caused by a clogged artery at the head of the femur
• infection
• rheumatoid arthritis
• osteoarthritis
• trochanteric bursitis
• aseptic necrosis
• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

Note: This list is not all inclusive and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The list of all possible causes can be extensive and include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the list will vary based on the age and gender of the individual as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom, such as quality, timing, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for this symptom occurring alone or in combination with other problems.