The first question any doctor asks the patient when asked to be treated for hip pain, is what symptoms they are facing. Describing the pain and discomfort helps the doctor in identifying the possibilities and the possible, main cause of the pain.

Dr. Steven Stuchin, MD, the Director of Orthopedic Surgery, at the Hospital for Joint Diseases of New York University Medical Center and associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City, says, that when asked, most people do not even clearly know where exactly the hip is. He says, the hip joint is where the leg joins with the body, in the region called the groin. A pain in the hip usually emanates from here, and runs down the thigh. A severe pain can felt around the knee too.

Below are symptoms of some problems, all causing a pain in the hip.

Arthritis

Pain in the hip can be due to Arthritis is moving the legs seems to be a herculean task. A person with Arthritis will hence face problems, and severe pain while walking, bending and climbing the stairs. Though hip pain is not the only symptom, here is why arthritis could be a cause:

• Pain in the hip can be caused due to damage resulting from an infection or injury in patients with osteoarthritis
• Pain, and hip arthritis can be caused by hip dysplasia
• A pain in the joints, hip joint included, can be resultant of the inflammatory Rheumatoid arthritis

Piriformis Syndrome

Piriformis is a muscle located posteriorly in the hip region. The main function of the muscle is to aid in the outward movement of the leg. Pain in the hip due to the piriformis can cause pain in the lower backs and buttocks during the movement of the leg away from the body.

The main cause in this case is due to the sciatic nerve, which is located behind the piriformis. In people with the piriformis syndrome, this nerve tends to gets stuck amid the tendons of the muscle. When the leg is then moved, the pincer like impact on the nerve causes the pain.

Snapping Hip

As is fairly evident from the name, a person describing a snapping hip to the doctor will report hearing a popping sound in the hip when moving the leg. This sound is caused by the tendon that “snaps” over the thigh bone, i.e. the femur. This is not a normal formation, but some people are born with this “anomaly”.

Stress Fracture of the Femoral Neck

Usually starting with a dull pain in the groin, a stress fracture can develop and get worse if left untreated. The region of the ball and socket joint starting the top of the femur, joining it to the pelvis is called the femoral neck. While this may initially feel like a muscle pull, the tension in the area will not release even when not physically strained.

The 2 main causes of this pain are:

• An injury due to a fall
• Continual stress injury due to vigorous exercise

Trochanteric Bursitis

The Trochanter is a bony structure located just beside the femoral neck. The bursae are fluid sacs which have a cushioning around this region. A person describing a pain in the hip during lying down or a pain around the outside of the thigh and the hip region, could be suffering from Trochanteric bursitis, which is the inflammation of the fluid sacs, previously described as bursae.