Overview

how the hip works

Your hip is the deepest, most stable ball-and-socket joint in the body: the round head of the femur (the ball of the hip) sits inside a cup-shaped socket in the pelvis, both surfaces covered in smooth cartilage. Strong muscles cross the joint on every side, and fluid-filled cushions (bursae) let tendons glide over the bony points. Where your pain sits tells us a lot: true hip-joint problems usually hurt in the groin, pain on the outer side is usually a tendon or bursa, and pain in the buttock often comes from the back, not the hip at all.

What Usually Causes Hip Pain

the usual suspects

Hip arthritis

The cartilage in the ball-and-socket wears down. Groin pain with walking, stiffness putting on shoes and socks, and a shrinking walking distance.

Bursitis on the side of the hip

Pain over the bony point on the outside of the hip, worse lying on that side at night. Very common and almost never surgical.

Labral tears

The cartilage rim of the socket can tear, often in younger, active adults. Groin pain with deep bending and pivoting.

Hip impingement (FAI)

Extra bone on the ball or socket causes pinching with deep hip bending, common in athletes.

Muscle and tendon strains

The muscles in front of the hip can strain with sprinting and kicking. Usually heals with rest and rehab.

See every hip problem we treat →

When to Come In

timing and warning signs

Hip soreness after activity usually settles with a few days of relative rest and over-the-counter pain relievers. Come in sooner if the pain followed a fall and you cannot put weight on the leg, the leg looks short or turned out, the pain is deep in the groin and getting worse, or you have a fever along with the pain. A fall plus a hip that will not take weight needs an X-ray the same day.

What Your Visit Looks Like

exam first, imaging second

Your visit starts with a conversation and a hands-on exam. Where the pain sits matters: true hip-joint problems usually hurt in the groin, while pain on the outer side is usually a tendon or bursa, and pain in the buttock often comes from the back. We take X-rays in the office the same day if we need them. An MRI is ordered only when the answer would change the plan. Most hip pain gets better without surgery: activity changes, physical therapy, and sometimes an injection.

How We Treat Hip Pain

non-operative first, surgery when it counts

Most hip pain gets better without an operation. The usual path is activity changes, physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the joint, and an injection when inflammation is keeping you from making progress. An injection into the joint can also help confirm the diagnosis: if numbing the hip relieves the pain, the hip is the problem.

Surgery enters the conversation when the joint itself is structurally worn or damaged (arthritis that has closed the joint space, a labral tear in an active adult, a fracture) or when a full course of non-operative care has not given you your life back. When that is the right step, your OSI surgeon performs it. See the hip operations we perform or browse non-operative care.