How Do I Know if My Hip Pain is Serious?

When hips are in pain, it can seriously affect a person’s quality of life. Unlike when we injure a smaller bone, the hip joints bear a lot of our body weight, making it either difficult, or even impossible, to walk, sit, and have any semblance of a normal life.

Most Common Causes of Hip Pain

While there are obvious factors, such as falling down the stairs or being involved in a car accident, sometimes a person will experience hip pain without having been involved in any kind of trauma. The most common causes are:

It’s also important to remember that an injury to the hip doesn’t always manifest as hip pain. Sometimes, the patient will experience discomfort, soreness, strains, or aches in other body parts, such as the buttocks, thighs, or groin.

By the same token, issues with other parts of the body may reflect as hip pain, such as problems with your back or knees. Since our skeletal system works cohesively, problems in one part of the body may radiate to other parts. This is why it’s essential to seek medical attention to get a proper diagnosis.

Hip Injury Symptoms

A person suffering from a hip injury will notice a limit on their range of motion, and the pain gets worse with continued activity. However, if the injury is serious, the person will also likely experience the following symptoms:

  • Cracking sound at the time of a fall or impact to the hip
  • Intense, sharp pain
  • Limping
  • Difficulty moving legs
  • Inability to walk without support
  • Deformity around the hip area
  • Hip feels warm to the touch
  • Swelling
  • Difficulty sleeping due to intense hip pain
  • Bowed legs
  • It hurts to walk or climb stairs
  • Pain even while resting

When Should a Person Consider Hip Replacement Surgery?

Hip replacement surgery can be total or partial. There are also different ways to perform hip surgery, some of which can be done with smaller incisions, less bone removal, and shorter recovery times, such as with the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing or Posterior Approach Hip Replacement.

That being said, hip replacement should only be considered as a last resort. There are more conservative approaches that may help a person recover from injury, such as:

  • Physical therapy
  • Strength-training exercises
  • Cortisone injections
  • Anti-inflammatory medication

In addition, a patient may have underlying conditions that need to be factored in before deciding to undergo surgery, such as being overweight or obese, having diabetes, or having a history of heart disease.

Request an Appointment at The Orthopedic Clinic Today

At The Orthopedic Clinic, we want you to live your life in full motion. If hip pain is affecting your activities of daily living, let us help you. We’ll take into account your entire medical history and your lifestyle, to get you back to doing the things you love.

Call us at (386) 255-4596 to schedule an appointment.

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