Hip Pain

Hip pain can be the most severe pain that a person can experience. It is usually the result of wear and tear on your joints due to old age. Older individuals typically experience hip pain but it is also not unheard of for young individuals to have similar symptoms as well. In a majority of cases there is usually not much that can be done about hip pain except for rest, pain medicine, and physical therapy, but there are some conditions that warrant emergency evaluation. We will go through different causes of hip pain so that you can be as educated as possible when you converse with your physician about your specific hip pain.

Hip Osteoarthritis: This is a result of wear and tear on the joint. The femur is the upper part of the leg and it attaches to the hip in a ball and socket joint, almost like how a baseball fits into a glove.  This glove can become worn down over time as a result of wear and tear. We only get one hip during the duration of our lifetime. This can lead to wear and tear of the cartilage at the hip joint. When this cartilage wears down we can have loss of the finesse of the joint and bone on bone grinding. If this happens you body will tell you that something is wrong. This is the pain that people typically feel. This pain is located at the groin and not at the back. If you are having pain in your buttocks and back as opposed to your groin odds are your back is the issue and not your hip.  The best thing to do for hip arthritis is to do physical therapy, take over the counter pain medication and consult your doctor about any other interventions. If you have questions about hip pain call now. ​For questions call us at 1 336-252-2215.

Emegency causes of hip pain

Hip Fracture: This can be a hip pain that is typically severe and can result in inability to walk. In this case it can be very obvious that you have just sustained a hip fracture. But in some cases you may have a hair-line fracture through the femoral head or another part of the bones in your leg and hip. If this is the case you might only experience pain when walking. This is why it is crucial to seek medical attention if hip pain worries you. With hip fractures the bone can slip, remodel and solidify in the wrong place leaving you with the inability to walk and in need of surgical recorrection in some cases. In other cases the entire joint could deteriorate completely due to a compromise in blood flow prompting the need for complete surgical resection of the bone in your leg and replacement with artificial titanium parts. That is why you should always contact your doctor if you think anything is wrong with your hip. Treatment can range from surgical correction to casting. Call now if you have more questions about hip pain. ​For questions call us at 1 336-252-2215.

Emergencies continued

Avascular Necrosis of the hip: If you are having hip pain and are also on chronic steroids for a condition then you could have compromised blood flow to the hip. If this is the case then you could very well develop this disease. This is the result of a deficiency in the delivery of nutrients to the bones in your hip. Your hip is its own ecosystem that is built to support your entire body. It needs vitamins, minerals, and oxygen in order to thrive and conduct its function. If these things are not present the entire hip can deteriorate and lead to pain, and trouble ambulating. If this is the case then surgical correction is the only thing that can be done to salvage the joint. This condition needs to be diagnosed as soon as possible and medical consultation is the only way to reach a conclusion. If you have hip pain then call our office number today for more answers to your questions. ​For questions call us at 1 336-252-2215.