The hip is a deep ball-and-socket joint that carries several times your body weight when you walk or climb stairs. It is surrounded by strong muscles, especially the gluteal muscles on the outside, which keep the pelvis level with every step.
Where hip pain is felt, and what it most often means.
Examination of how the hip moves, where it hurts and how you walk usually points to the cause, together with an examination of the back.
A standing X-ray of the pelvis shows arthritis clearly. MRI is used for suspected avascular necrosis, a hidden (occult) fracture, or tendon and cartilage problems when the diagnosis is unclear.
At VinayakM, hip pain starts with finding where it really comes from: the joint, the tendons or the back.
Groin pain usually comes from the hip joint; buttock pain often comes from the back. A careful examination of both is the best way to tell.
Yes. Strengthening exercise is a core treatment in international guidelines. It reduces pain and improves function for many people, and it prepares the hip well if surgery is needed later.
When pain, stiffness and reduced mobility keep limiting your daily life despite exercise, weight management and pain relief. The decision is yours, made with your surgeon, based on how the hip affects your life rather than a scan score.
Most modern hip replacements last many years, and a large majority are still working well 15 to 20 years later.
Pain on the outside of the hip at night is typical of gluteal tendon pain. Placing a pillow between the knees and avoiding lying on the painful side often helps.
Written in our own words. Textbooks were used as background reading and are cited; no text, figures or tables have been reproduced from them.
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