Hip pain

Pain in your hip is very common and can affect both children and adults.

You may experience pain in your hip when you:

• walk up or down stairs
• sit or stand for extended periods of time
• exercise or play sport
• first wake up in the morning

When and where you feel hip pain will depend on what is causing it.

Hip pain may spread to your groin, buttock or thigh, and sometimes even to your knee or lower leg.

If you have problems with the muscles, ligaments, or tendons around your hip joint, you may feel pain:

• on the outside of your hip
• in your upper thigh
• in your buttock
• in your groin
• when moving or exercising

If your pain is caused by osteoarthritis, you may experience:

• joint stiffness
• a grating or grinding sensation when you move your hip
• muscle weakness
• pain that is most noticeable when you first get out of bed in the morning

A bone fracture may cause:

• swelling
• deformity (unusual shape, such as a lump near your hip or thigh area)
• bruising
• loss of function
• severe pain

If your pain is caused by an infection, the area around your hip may be red or swollen.

Hip pain can be due to many different causes. 

Hip pain may be caused by:

• a fracture of the neck (top) of your femur (thigh bone)
• a strained muscle or inflamed tendon 
• a pinched or irritated nerve, such as sciatica (pinched sciatic nerve)
• greater trochanteric pain syndrome (a condition that causes pain in the outside of your hip)
• bursitis (when the fluid-filled 'cushions' that protect a tendon become inflamed)
• hip dysplasia (a hip condition some people are born with)
• osteoarthritis, especially in people older than 50 years of age

Sometimes you can feel pain in your hip that starts from other areas of your body —such as your lower back, pelvis, knee or muscles in your lower back. This is called referred pain.

A hip joint infection is not a common health issue but can cause hip pain. It’s also known as septic arthritis.

The treatment for hip pain might include physiotherapy. Your physiotherapist can give you advice about: 

• stretching
• strengthening exercises
• low-impact exercise, such as swimming

Self-care at home

You might find some self-care measures help with your symptoms, including:

• rest
• avoiding activities that make it worse
• massage

You can also use devices such as canes and crutches. These may help you get around — ask your doctor if these devices are right for you.

Medicines for hip pain

Medicines may help improve your symptoms. Depending on what is causing your hip pain, your doctor may recommend medicines such as:

• anti-inflammatory medicines
• pain-relief medicines
• antibiotics
• corticosteroid injections (an anti-inflammatory injection)

Other treatment options

Your doctor may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon (bone specialist) if you need:

• surgery
• other specialist treatment
  
  

Hip pain that is not treated can lead to further issues.

Movement problems may develop, such as:

• limping
• falls
• muscular atrophy (muscle wasting)
• weakness

Some other lifestyle issues that can happen with ongoing hip pain are:

• chronic pain
• reduced mobility
• weight gain

Acute (sudden) medical problems can happen such as:

• infection
• blood clots
• fracture (broken bone)

Joint damage related to hip pain may lead to:

• avascular necrosis (bone damage due to poor blood supply)
• a need for joint replacement surgery

One of the best ways to prevent hip pain is gentle exercise. Low impact activities are best, such as:

• swimming
• yoga
• tai-chi

Talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before starting a new type of exercise. They can design an exercise program to suit you.

You can also help prevent hip pain by:

• eating a balanced diet, with enough nutrients to support bone health
• maintaining a healthy body weight
• limiting your intake of alcohol
• not smoking or vaping
• removing trip hazards in your home, to reduce your chance of falls
• having your medicines reviewed by your pharmacist

Arthritis Australia (Opens in new tab) has information about:

• hip pain (Opens in new tab)
• types of arthritis (Opens in new tab)
• living with arthritis (Opens in new tab)

Visit The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (Opens in new tab) page for information on irritable hip (Opens in new tab) — a possible cause of hip pain in children.

The My Joint Pain (Opens in new tab) page offers support for people with osteoarthritis (Opens in new tab).