What causes hip pain?
Deep groin pain with walking, putting on socks, or getting out of a car suggests hip arthritis or a labral problem. Pain on the outside of the hip that is worse lying on that side is usually gluteal tendinopathy, often called hip bursitis. Pain at the sit bone with sitting or running points to the hamstring tendon.
Back problems can also cause hip-area pain, so the exam checks the spine and sacroiliac joint too.
When to see an orthopedic doctor for hip pain
- Groin pain with walking, stairs, or putting on shoes
- Outer hip pain that keeps you from sleeping on that side
- Pain at the sit bone with sitting or running
- Clicking, catching, or locking in the hip
- Hip pain that is limiting your activity
Get urgent care instead if you have
- Inability to bear weight after a fall, especially in older adults
- A hot, swollen, very painful hip with fever
- Sudden severe hip pain in someone who takes steroids or has sickle cell disease