Common Causes of Hip Pain and At-Home Treatments

Hip pain can make it hard to function in your everyday life. You use your hips in so many ways, from getting out of bed to walking around during the day. And when you feel consistent hip pain during movement, that can be debilitating.

What causes hip pain and how can it be managed?

Common Causes of Hip Pain

Hip pain is often caused from pain in other areas of the body. When you have knee problems, it may also cause your hips pain. The same thing can happen from pain in your back, feet, and abdomen. This is called “referred” pain. The pain is somewhere else in the body but it refers to your hips.

Another major cause of hip pain is Osteoarthritis. As you age, your joints age with you and start to become worn down. Arthritis occurs as your cartilage wears down and your bones start to rub against each other. This can cause you to feel achy in your hip joints and cause you to have a harder time moving.

Other causes of hip pain include:

  • Deformities either caused by injury or that you were born with
  • Fractures
  • Muscles, tendons, or ligaments around your hips that are bruised or inflamed
  • A pinched nerve in or around your hips
  • Infections or diseases in your bones (such as bone cancer)

At-Home Treatments
With all of the different causes of hip pain, you may need to try a few different remedies and find what works for you. Some things you could try include:

  • Rest. Taking time for your body to recover is an important part of getting rid of pain. Keep the weight off of your hip and try to relax.
  • Taking over the counter medication (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) that are meant for pain relief and have anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Stretching. There are several stretches and yoga poses you can try that help with hip pain (fire hydrant, boat pose, seated twist, bridge pose, reclined figure four, etc.) You can look up a YouTube video or a written description to learn how to do these stretches.
  • Do low impact exercises like swimming and stretching.
  • Apply ice. Wrap an ice pack in a wash cloth and apply it to the affected area for 15 minutes at a time. You can do this several times a day. This will help reduce the inflammation.
  • Take a warm bath or shower.

When is it time to call the doctor?

You should see the doctor if you are not having success at relieving your pain with any at-home treatments or if the pain starts to get worse. See a doctor if you have signs of infection (fever, chills, or redness). If your hip pain starts very suddenly or is very intense pain you should see a doctor.

If your hip pain is the result of a fall or an injury, you can’t put any weight on it, or it hurts to move or stand on one of your legs, you should go see a doctor right away.

Call our office to get an appointment with Dr. Altenburg so we can help you get back to doing what you love.