Hip Pain: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Exercises & When to See an Orthopaedic Doctor

What is Hip Pain?

Hip pain can come from the hip joint itself, the muscles and tendons around it, the bones, or even the lower back and nearby nerves. The word “hip” can be confusing because patients may point to the groin, side of the hip, buttock, upper thigh or sometimes the knee .

Some people develop symptoms gradually over months or years, while others have sudden pain after a fall, twist, sports injury, long walk or unusual exercise . Pain may appear while walking, climbing stairs, getting up from a chair, sitting for a long time, putting on socks and shoes, crossing the legs, getting into a car, lying on the painful side or even at night.

Hip pain is not the same as hip arthritis. Arthritis is one important cause, but there are many others. The correct treatment depends on the history, examination and, when necessary, imaging or blood tests.

How Patients Commonly Describe Hip Pain

Patients often use very simple phrases to describe a hip problem. These details are useful during an orthopaedic consultation.

• “Hip mein dard hai.”
• “Groin mein pain hota hai.”
• “Chalne par hip mein dard badh jata hai.”
• “Chair se uthte waqt hip pain hota hai.”
• “Pair cross karne mein problem hoti hai.”
• “Socks ya shoes pehenne ke liye pair uthane mein pain hota hai.”
• “Car mein baithne ya nikalne par hip dard karta hai.”
• “Raat ko side par sone se hip mein pain hota hai.”
• “Hip stiff ho gaya hai.”
• “Dard thigh se knee tak jata hai.”
• “Girne ke baad chal nahi pa raha / weight nahi de pa raha.”
• “Hip ke bahar wali side dabane par bahut dard hota hai.”

Try to describe where the pain starts, where it travels, when it began, whether there was an injury, what activities trigger it, and whether you have stiffness, swelling, fever, numbness or weakness.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

Hip pain has several possible causes. The location and pattern of pain can give clues, but symptoms alone cannot reliably confirm the diagnosis.

• Hip osteoarthritis — gradual wear-related changes causing deep groin pain, stiffness and loss of movement.
• Greater trochanteric pain syndrome — outer-hip pain involving the gluteal tendons and nearby bursae; often worse when lying on that side, walking or climbing stairs.
• Muscle or tendon strain/tendinopathy — may follow exercise, running, sudden activity or repetitive loading.
• Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head — damage associated with loss of blood supply to the ball of the hip.
• Hip fracture or other fracture — especially after a fall or high-energy injury; risk is higher in older people and people with weak bones.
• Labral and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)-type problems — more often considered in younger active adults with groin pain, clicking or pain with certain hip positions.
• Inflammatory arthritis and other joint disorders.
• Infection — uncommon but important, especially when severe pain is associated with fever or systemic illness.
• Referred pain from the lower back, sacroiliac region or nerves — the hip itself may be normal.
• Childhood/adolescent hip conditions — pain in children and teenagers can have a different differential diagnosis and should not simply be labelled as “growing pains”.

Persistent, unexplained or progressively worsening hip pain deserves assessment, particularly when walking or sleep is being affected.

Where Does Hip Pain Usually Occur?

The exact location can be helpful, although several conditions can overlap.

A patient with “knee pain” but no clear knee findings may need the hip and lower back examined as well.

Hip Pain While Walking, Climbing Stairs or Standing

Walking pain can occur because the hip has to transfer body weight with every step. The pattern matters: some patients hurt at the start of walking and then loosen up, while others develop pain only after a longer distance.

• Pain after walking for a few minutes
• Pain while standing for long periods
• Difficulty climbing or descending stairs
• Pain while getting up from a chair
• Reduced walking distance
• Needing to rest more often
• Developing a limp or changing the way you walk

Hip arthritis, tendon disorders, muscle weakness, fracture, AVN and referred pain from the spine can all produce activity-related symptoms. A new or worsening limp should not simply be ignored.

Hip Pain While Sitting, Crossing Legs, Squatting or Getting in a Car

Some patients feel comfortable while walking but develop pain when the hip is flexed or rotated.

• Getting up from a low chair
• Sitting cross-legged on the floor
• Squatting
• Getting onto the floor and back up again
• Putting on socks or shoes
• Getting in and out of a car
• Turning the leg inward or outward

Reduced hip rotation and stiffness are particularly important clues. However, pain during these activities can occur with several different disorders, so the movement that triggers symptoms should be described rather than used to make a diagnosis on its own.

Night Pain and Pain While Lying on the Side

Night pain can occur in several hip conditions. Outer-hip pain that becomes worse when lying directly on that side often points toward irritation of the tissues around the greater trochanter. Deep joint pain may also disturb sleep when arthritis or another intra-articular problem is advanced.

Persistent night pain, especially when it is new, progressive, severe or unrelated to activity , should be discussed with a doctor rather than treated indefinitely with painkillers.

Hip Osteoarthritis: A Common Cause of Persistent Hip Pain

Hip osteoarthritis occurs when the normally smooth joint surfaces become damaged over time. The typical pattern is gradual pain and stiffness rather than one sudden injury, although symptoms can flare after increased activity.

People may notice:

• Deep groin or front-of-hip pain
• Stiffness after sitting or in the morning
• Difficulty walking longer distances
• Pain while getting up from a chair
• Difficulty putting on socks and shoes
• Reduced ability to cross the legs or rotate the hip
• Increasing reliance on a stick or support
• Sleep disturbance in more advanced disease

Early and moderate arthritis is often managed with appropriate exercise, activity modification, weight management where appropriate, medicines when suitable and other non-surgical measures. When damage becomes advanced and daily function remains substantially limited, joint replacement may be considered.

For a detailed discussion of joint replacement, see the existing Total Hip Replacement Surgery guide.

Outer Hip Pain: Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome, Bursitis & Tendon Problems

Outer-hip pain is different from deep groin pain. It is commonly felt over the bony prominence on the side of the hip and may be related to gluteal tendinopathy, bursae irritation or greater trochanteric pain syndrome .

Typical triggers include:

• Lying on the painful side
• Walking uphill or climbing stairs
• Prolonged standing
• Running or repeated leg loading
• Sudden increase in exercise

Treatment is usually based on activity modification and physiotherapy focused on graded loading and hip muscle strength. Persistent symptoms, marked weakness or diagnostic uncertainty may need further assessment or imaging.

Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the Hip

Avascular necrosis (also called osteonecrosis) is a condition in which the blood supply to the femoral head becomes impaired. The femoral head can gradually weaken and, if the disease progresses, collapse.

Symptoms can include:

• Deep groin or hip pain
• Pain while walking or standing
• Reduced hip movement
• Progressively increasing pain over time
• Pain sometimes continuing even at rest or at night

Early disease may not be fully visible on a plain X-ray, so MRI can be important when AVN is suspected. Management depends on the stage, extent of damage, age and function. Advanced collapse may require joint replacement.

See the detailed hip replacement guide for information about total hip arthroplasty.

Hip Pain After a Fall, Accident or Sports Injury

Sudden hip pain after a fall or major impact should be treated differently from gradual arthritis. A fracture of the hip or proximal femur is particularly important in older adults, but younger people can sustain significant fractures after high-energy trauma as well.

Warning features include:

• Inability to stand or walk
• Inability to put weight on the affected leg
• Severe pain in the hip or groin
• Leg appearing shorter or turned outward after a major injury
• Significant swelling or bruising
• Severe pain with even small movements

Do not repeatedly ask someone with severe post-fall hip pain to “try walking”. Keep them supported and arrange urgent medical assessment.

For a deeper discussion of fracture patterns and treatment options including DHS, PFN and hemiarthroplasty, see Comprehensive Hip Fracture Treatment .

Hip Fracture in Older Adults: Why It Is an Emergency

In an older person, even a seemingly minor fall can cause a hip fracture, particularly when bone strength is reduced. The consequences are not limited to the broken bone: prolonged immobility can increase the risk of chest infection, blood clots, pressure sores, deconditioning and loss of independence.

Hip fracture management depends on the exact fracture pattern, the patient's age and health, bone quality and pre-injury mobility. Common procedures include internal fixation for appropriate fractures, proximal femoral nailing for selected trochanteric patterns, bipolar hemiarthroplasty for many displaced femoral-neck fractures in older adults, and total hip replacement in selected patients.

The detailed surgical page on this site explains DHS, DHS with trochanteric support, PFN with support and bipolar hemiarthroplasty in more depth.

Hip Pain in Children and Teenagers

Hip pain in children is not simply “adult hip pain in a smaller body”. Children and adolescents can have different conditions involving the hip, growth plate or surrounding structures.

Important symptoms include:

• Limping without an obvious injury
• Groin, thigh or knee pain
• Refusing to walk or put weight on the leg
• Pain after sports
• Fever or feeling unwell with joint pain
• Sudden severe pain or inability to move the hip

A child with significant hip pain, fever, inability to bear weight or sudden severe symptoms needs prompt medical assessment.

Hip Pain That Actually Comes From the Back or Nerves

The hip region is close to the lower back, sacroiliac area and major nerves. A patient may therefore feel “hip pain” even when the hip joint itself is not the main problem.

Clues that the source may be spinal or nerve-related include:

• Pain travelling from the back or buttock down the leg
• Burning, tingling or electric-shock-like pain
• Numbness
• Weakness in the leg or foot
• Pain strongly related to spinal position or prolonged sitting

The hip and lower back can also coexist as sources of pain. A proper examination is often more useful than guessing from the location alone. For patients with known lumbar disc disease, see the site's disc prolapse rehabilitation information.

What Can I Do for Hip Pain at Home?

Home care should be guided by the suspected cause. A person with a possible fracture should not use home exercises as a substitute for medical assessment.

• Reduce the activity that clearly aggravates the pain for a short period, rather than forcing through severe pain.
• Use a cold pack wrapped in a cloth for a recent soft-tissue injury or swelling if it feels helpful. Do not place ice directly on the skin.
• For chronic stiffness, gentle movement and regular low-impact activity are often better than prolonged bed rest.
• Choose supportive footwear and avoid suddenly increasing walking, running or stair volume.
• If a walking aid is advised, use one that is correctly fitted and learn the correct technique.
• Do not repeatedly self-medicate with anti-inflammatory painkillers without considering your age, kidney function, stomach history, blood pressure, heart disease and other medicines.

Persistent pain should not be masked indefinitely. The aim is to identify the cause and treat it appropriately.

Exercises and Physiotherapy for Hip Pain

Exercise can be an important part of treatment for many non-urgent hip conditions, especially osteoarthritis and tendon-related pain. The right programme depends on the diagnosis, pain level, age, strength and whether there has been surgery or injury.

Common physiotherapy goals include:

• Maintaining comfortable hip movement
• Strengthening the gluteal and other hip muscles
• Improving balance and walking mechanics
• Gradually rebuilding tolerance for stairs and longer walks
• Improving general lower-limb strength and conditioning

Simple movements such as gentle hip range-of-motion work, gluteal strengthening, controlled sit-to-stand practice and graded walking may be used in appropriate patients. Exercises should not be forced through sharp pain, and suspected fracture, acute infection or a freshly operated hip needs a specific medical/physiotherapy protocol.

Do I Need an X-ray, MRI or Other Test?

There is no single scan that is correct for every patient. The purpose of the investigation is to answer a clinical question raised by the history and examination.

An imaging abnormality also needs to be interpreted in context. Some people have age-related changes on scans that are not the main cause of their symptoms.

Does Hip Pain Need Surgery?

No. Many hip problems can be treated without surgery. The first step is to identify the underlying condition.

• Activity modification and graded return to activity
• Physiotherapy and strengthening
• Weight management where appropriate
• Medicines when suitable
• Selected injections or other non-surgical treatments when clinically appropriate
• Treatment of associated spine, tendon or movement problems

Surgery may become appropriate when there is a structural problem that is unlikely to respond adequately to non-surgical care, or when pain and loss of function remain substantial.

For advanced hip-joint damage, see the existing Total Hip Replacement Surgery guide. For traumatic hip fractures, see Comprehensive Hip Fracture Treatment .

When Might Hip Arthroscopy Be Considered?

In selected younger or active patients, hip pain may be related to problems such as femoroacetabular impingement or a labral tear. Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure used in carefully selected cases after appropriate clinical assessment and imaging.

Not every clicking or groin pain needs arthroscopy. The decision depends on the symptoms, examination, imaging findings and whether the structural abnormality matches the patient's clinical problem.

When Should I See an Orthopaedic Doctor?

Arrange an assessment when hip pain is persistent, recurrent or interfering with normal activities.

• Pain is affecting walking, work, exercise or sleep
• Walking distance is progressively decreasing
• You are developing a limp
• Hip movement is becoming restricted
• You have increasing difficulty with socks, shoes, stairs or getting up from a chair
• Outer-hip pain persists despite reasonable activity modification
• You have a history of significant trauma
• You have risk factors or symptoms suggesting AVN
• Pain is not improving with sensible self-care

When Is Hip Pain Urgent?

These features can represent fracture, infection or a serious neurological problem. They should not be managed only with painkillers at home.

Common Questions About Hip Pain

Continue Reading

These existing pages provide more detailed information for patients whose symptoms point toward a specific diagnosis or treatment.

• Total Hip Replacement Surgery — indications, implants, recovery and patient preparation.
• Comprehensive Hip Fracture Treatment — DHS, PFN, trochanteric support and bipolar hemiarthroplasty for selected fractures.
• Complex Fracture & Trauma Surgery — broader information about fracture care.
• Fracture information — general patient guidance after bone injury.
• Plaster vs Surgery for Fractures — understanding why different fractures require different treatments.
• Osteoarthritis physiotherapy & lifestyle — exercise and non-surgical principles for arthritis-related symptoms.
• Geriatric & senior orthopaedic care — additional guidance relevant to older adults.

Related Hip Information

This symptom hub is intentionally broad. Use the table below to move from a symptom to the most relevant detailed topic.