Hip Pain Treatment
Move, Sit, and Stand With Comfort Again
Hip pain can affect more than your ability to walk. It can make it hard to stand, sit, climb stairs, sleep comfortably, work, or keep up with daily life. Pain may show up in the hip joint itself, or in the groin, buttock, thigh, lower back, or leg. Our team is here to help you find the source of your pain and get back to the activities that matter most.
Understanding the Hip
The hip is one of the body’s largest weight-bearing joints. It supports you when you stand, walk, bend, twist, climb stairs, and move from sitting to standing.
Because the hip plays such a central role in movement, pain here can have many possible causes. The hip joint includes bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bursae, and nearby nerves, so pain may come from the joint itself, the soft tissue around it, or another area entirely, like the lower back or sacroiliac joint.
Some people only notice hip pain with movement. Others feel it at night, when lying on one side, or after sitting or standing for a while. It can feel like a deep ache, a sharp catch, stiffness, burning, throbbing, or pain that travels into the thigh or leg.
What Causes Hip Pain?
Hip pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis, so finding the cause is the first step toward the right treatment. Common causes include:
Arthritis
Arthritis can cause inflammation, stiffness, and pain in the hip joint. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes as cartilage wears down over time, and rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory conditions can affect the hip as well.
Bursitis
Inflammation of the small fluid-filled sacs that cushion the hip joint, often causing pain on the outside of the hip, upper thigh, or buttock, sometimes worse with walking, stairs, or lying on the affected side.
Tendon or Muscle Strain
From overuse, repetitive movement, sports, lifting, falls, or sudden twisting, often felt as soreness, tightness, or tenderness that worsens with certain movements.
Hip Labral Tears
Affecting the ring of cartilage that supports and stabilizes the hip joint, which can cause pain, stiffness, clicking, catching, or a feeling of instability.
Hip Impingement
Also called femoroacetabular impingement, this happens when the bones of the hip joint don’t move smoothly together, pinching at the hip joint typically when bringing the knee up toward the chest, often causing pain in the groin or front of the hip.
Sacroiliac Joint or Lower Back Problems
Pain felt in the hip doesn’t always start there. Conditions in the lower back, spine, or sacroiliac joint can send pain into the buttock, outer hip, groin, thigh, or leg, sometimes with numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness.
Nerve Irritation
This can cause burning, shooting, or radiating pain around the hip and down the leg, sometimes related to sciatica, femoral nerve irritation, radiculopathy, or peripheral neuropathy.
Fractures or Dislocation
These cause sudden, severe pain and difficulty standing or walking, often after a fall or trauma, and require immediate medical evaluation.
How Is Hip Pain Treated?
Treatment depends on the cause, severity, and how much the pain is affecting your daily life. At Big Stone Therapies, we start with a comprehensive evaluation to understand whether your pain is coming from the hip joint, the surrounding soft tissue, the nerves, or the spine and sacroiliac joint.
Your treatment plan may include:
- ✓A thorough evaluation of your symptoms, medical history, activity level, and any prior treatments or imaging
- ✓Physical therapy to improve strength, stability, flexibility, and movement patterns, which can be especially helpful for arthritis, bursitis, muscle weakness, gait changes, balance reintegration, injury recovery, or pain related to surrounding joints and muscles
- ✓Treatment of tight muscles with Graston IASTM (instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization), dry needling with electrical stimulation, and Jones strain counterstrain to help manage pain
- ✓Manual therapy including joint mobilizations to help your hip move more smoothly, and targeted exercise to address the underlying cause of your pain and regain strength
- ✓Activity and lifestyle guidance, including heat or ice, posture adjustments, movement modifications, and strengthening to reduce stress on the hip
- ✓Education to help you understand and manage your condition
Many types of hip pain improve significantly with physical therapy alone. When additional treatment is needed, your physician may discuss options like medication, injections, or, for lower back or sacroiliac-related pain, other interventional approaches. We work closely alongside your physician throughout this process.
When Surgery May Be Considered
Most people with hip pain do not need surgery. When conservative treatment hasn’t provided enough relief, or when there’s a fracture or significant structural issue, your physician may discuss options such as hip arthroscopy, hip replacement, or fracture repair with an orthopedic surgeon. If surgery is part of your path forward, our therapists can help you prepare beforehand and support your recovery afterward.
When Should I See Someone About Hip Pain?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your hip pain:
- ✓Lasts more than a few days or keeps coming back
- ✓Interferes with walking, standing, sitting, or sleeping
- ✓Causes pain in the groin, buttock, thigh, or leg
- ✓Worsens with activity, stairs, or lying on one side
- ✓Includes numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness
- ✓Doesn’t improve with rest, ice, or activity changes
- ✓Limits your ability to work, exercise, or complete daily tasks
Seek immediate medical care if hip pain follows a fall or accident, if you can’t move your hip or leg, if you can’t put weight on the affected side, or if you think you may have a broken bone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hip pain can come from arthritis, bursitis, tendon or muscle strain, labral tears, hip impingement, nerve irritation, or issues in the lower back or sacroiliac joint. Pain may originate in the hip joint itself or in nearby structures.
Pain that travels into the thigh or leg can be related to nerve irritation, a lower back condition, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or inflammation around the hip. An evaluation can help determine the true source.
If your pain lasts more than a few days, keeps returning, interferes with walking or sleeping, worsens with activity, or comes with numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness, it’s time to have it evaluated. Seek urgent care if your pain follows a fall, prevents you from bearing weight, or is sudden and severe.
Yes. Most hip pain responds well to non-surgical treatment, especially physical therapy, and many people find significant relief without ever needing a procedure.
Hip pain may be related to the lower back if it travels into the buttock, thigh, calf, or foot, or comes with numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness. Pain that changes with sitting, bending, standing, or walking can also point to a spine-related source.
Rest, ice or heat, gentle stretching, and activity modification can help with mild hip pain. If pain persists, worsens, or limits your mobility, it’s important to schedule an evaluation to identify the cause.
Surgery is sometimes recommended for certain fractures, severe arthritis, advanced joint damage, or labral tears that don’t improve with conservative treatment. Your physician can help determine whether an orthopedic evaluation makes sense for you.
Contact Us to Get Started
Hip pain can make everyday movement feel difficult, but you don’t have to manage it alone. Contact us today to schedule an evaluation with our specialists.
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