Hip pain is one of the most common chronic painful conditions. It affects every movement you make, especially walking.
If hip pain persists despite rest, over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and at-home heat or cold therapy, make an appointment with the best Los Angeles Hip Pain Relief doctor.
Some medications can be injected directly into the hip to reduce inflammation. This includes corticosteroid injections.
Tendonitis
Tendonitis is a common injury from sports and repetitive activities. It is important to treat it promptly with rest, icing, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy.
An expert musculoskeletal physician will review your medical history and perform a physical exam. He or she will look for tenderness, swelling and limited hip movement. Diagnostic imaging may be ordered, including X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
If conservative treatment does not improve your pain, a doctor can recommend a cortisone injection to decrease inflammation. Your doctor may also use ultrasound or whirlpool treatments to relax muscles and tendons and improve circulation to promote healing. Surgical options include arthroscopic surgery that minimizes scarring and tissue trauma. When the recovery period is complete, a physical therapist can prescribe exercises to strengthen and stretch the affected hip muscles and improve range of motion.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a condition that affects areas in and around joints. Joints are where bones meet such as your knee, and the ends of the bones are covered by cartilage that acts as a shock absorber to keep them from rubbing together and hurting you. Inside the joint is a slippery fluid and strong bands of tissue called ligaments and muscles help support the area and allow you to move.
If your hip has arthritis, it may feel warm and swollen to the touch. You may also experience pain and stiffness in the joint. The joint might also make a grinding or grating sound (crepitus), which is caused by bone surfaces rubbing against each other.
To diagnose hip arthritis, your doctor will check the area and move the joint through its normal range of motion. They will also look for swollen areas, tender spots and redness of the skin over the joint. They will likely order imaging tests like X-rays, CT scan or MRI to get a better picture of the joint and cartilage.
Strains
A hip muscle strain happens when a muscle or tendon (fibrous cords of tissue that attach muscles to bone) is stretched too far. A strain can be mild or severe. A strain can also cause a ligament (bands of tissue that hold bones together at joints) to tear.
Most strains are caused by lifting something heavy, exercising without properly stretching or participating in sports that require repetitive movement. Repeated hip muscle strains can weaken your muscles and tendons over time, making the injury more severe.
Rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers can help treat your hip strain. Your doctor or health care professional can teach you gentle hip exercises to help strengthen the area and increase flexibility. An MRI may help your doctor determine the exact muscle or tendon affected and its severity.
Bursitis
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion bones, muscles and skin around joints. Overuse and injury can irritate them, leading to pain and swelling. Bursitis is common in hips, shoulders, knees and elbows. It often affects adolescent athletes and people who perform repetitive motions in sports, work or daily activities.
Treatment includes resting the injured area. This might include avoiding activities that cause pain, using a cane or crutches, placing a splint on the joint, or taking over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen.
Your doctor might also use an ultrasound or MRI to get images of the affected area and order lab tests to check for infection or gout as causes of bursitis. If nonsurgical treatments fail, surgery to drain and remove the inflamed bursa might be recommended.
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections help to reduce inflammation and thus pain in the hip. They can be injected directly into a joint, a bursa (lubricating sacs between tendons and bones), or soft tissue.
Generally the hip is treated first with a combination of physiotherapy and rehabilitation but in some cases a steroid injection can be very helpful. For example, if a patient has hip osteoarthritis or trochanteric bursitis (pain from the outside of the hip) that does not respond to physiotherapy an injection can be very effective.
The doctor will clean the area around your hip and thigh and then use ultrasound or a type of X-ray called fluoroscopy to locate the appropriate site for the injection. A small needle is inserted into the hip and a mixture of anesthetic and anti-inflammatory cortisone is injected. The injection procedure typically takes between thirty and sixty minutes.