Hip pain - Arthritis Research UK | Arthritis Research UK

32 Pages·2011·2.12 MB·English

Condition
Hip pain
Hip pain
This booklet provides information
and answers to your questions
about hip pain.
Arthritis Research UK produce
and print our booklets entirely
from charitable donations.
What is
hip pain?
Hip pain is a very common
problem but it’s not usually
a sign of arthritis or any other
underlying medical condition.
In this booklet we’ll explain
what causes hip pain and what
you and your healthcare team
can do to ease the problem.
At the back of this booklet you’ll find a brief glossary of
medical words - we’ve underlined these when they’re
first used in the booklet.
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Hip pain
What’s inside?
2 H ip pain at a glance 15 What treatments are there for
hip pain?
4 How does the hip work?
– Drugs
4 What causes hip pain?
– Physiotherapy
6 Should I see a doctor? – Steroid injections
– Surgery
6 What can I do to help myself?
– Painkillers 18 R esearch and new developments
– Exercise 19 Glossary
– Reducing the strain
20 Where can I found out more?
– Complementary therapies
24 We’re here to help
10 How are hip problems
diagnosed?
– What tests are there?
11 Specific hip conditions
– Osteoarthritis
– Paget’s disease of bone
– Other types of arthritis
– Hip fractures
– Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis)
– Referred back pain
– Soft tissue conditions
– Other causes of groin pain
At a glance
Hip pain
Most cases of hip pain
will ease with simple
self-help treatments,
and you probably won’t
need to see your doctor.
Hip problems are common and can
occur throughout adult life. Many
respond to simple treatments or rest,
and in most cases you won’t need to
see your doctor.
What can I do to help myself?
How are hip problems
There are several ways that you can help diagnosed?
yourself, including:
Your doctor will usually make a diagnosis
• taking painkillers based on your symptoms and an
examination of your hip, although you
• getting a balance between rest
may also need the following tests:
and exercise
• thinking about whether your day-to- • x-rays
day activities contribute to your hip • computerised tomography (CT) scans
pain and doing something to reduce or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
the strain. scans
• blood tests.
When should I see my doctor?
You should see your doctor if: What causes them?
• you’ve fallen and injured your hip Hip pain can be caused by a simple strain,
but it can also be the result of a number of
• you have severe pain which is getting
different conditions, including:
worse
• you’re unwell or feel feverish • osteoarthritis of the hip joint, Paget’s
disease and other types of arthritis
• you have pain at night.
• avascular necrosis
• referred pain from the back
• soft tissue conditions.
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Hip pain
What treatments are there?
If hip pain doesn’t ease with self-help
methods, the usual treatments include:
• drugs
• physiotherapy
• steroid injections
• surgery.
How does the hip joint What causes hip pain?
work? Most hip pain has a very simple
explanation, for example if you’ve
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that
overdone it while exercising. The pain is
helps you move your legs during everyday
usually caused by strained or inflamed
activities such as walking and going up
soft tissues such as tendons, and it often
and down stairs. It has a good range of
clears up within a few days. Long-term hip
movement but it’s very stable and rarely
pain can be caused by specific conditions,
dislocates, even after high-impact trauma.
which are described in more detail later in
The ball of the joint, which is at the top
the booklet.
of the bone in your upper leg (the femur),
is called the femoral head, and the socket Pain from the hip joint can be felt in the
created by the hollow of your pelvis is groin, down the front of the leg and,
called the acetabulum (see Figure 1). surprisingly, in the knee. Sometimes knee
pain is the only sign of a hip problem.
The joint is surrounded by a tough,
This is called referred pain, and it’s fairly
fibrous sleeve called the capsule, which
common. Hip pain can also be felt in the
helps to hold the bones together. The
buttock (although pain in this area can
capsule is lined by the synovium, which
also be caused by problems with the
produces a fluid (synovial fluid) that
lower back) or on the outside of the hip
nourishes the cartilage and lubricates the
(see Figure 2).
joint. The hip joint is moved by a number
of muscles that allow you to rotate your
hip and walk.
Problems with
the hips can cause
pain in the thighs
and the knees
– this is called
referred pain.
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Figure 1
The hip joint
Pelvis
Acetabulum
(socket)
Femoral head
(ball)
Femur (thigh
bone)
Figure 2
Areas where
hip pain is felt
Should I see a doctor? Painkillers
Simple painkillers such as paracetamol
Most cases of hip pain will get better
will often help to ease pain. They’re
on their own or with simple self-help
usually the first treatment for
treatments. You should see your doctor
osteoarthritis, which can cause hip pain
if the pain is extremely bad or if it hasn’t
(see Specific hip conditions). It’s best
improved with painkillers after two
to take them before the pain becomes
weeks.
very bad, but you shouldn’t take them
You should see your doctor straight
more often than every 4 hours up to a
away if:
maximum of 8 in 24 hours. Non-steroidal
• you’ve had a fall or injured your hip anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as
• the pain is getting worse ibuprofen, which you can buy at chemists
and supermarkets, can also help. You can
• you’re having difficulty with everyday
use painkillers and NSAIDs for a short
activities, for example walking, going
course of treatment of about a week to
up stairs or leaning forwards when
10 days. If they’ve not helped after this
sitting
time then they’re unlikely to and you
• you feel feverish or unwell, or you’ve should see your doctor. However, if they
been losing weight. do help but the pain returns when you
stop taking them, you could try another
short course. You can also try rubbing
What can I do
anti-inflammatory creams or gels onto
to help myself? affected areas.
There are several things that you can try If you smoke, or if you have circulation
if you have hip pain. These include using problems, high blood pressure, high
painkillers, exercising and reducing the cholesterol or diabetes, you should
strain on your hip. check with your doctor or pharmacist
whether it’s suitable for you to use
over-the-counter NSAIDs because they
may interact with any medication you’re
taking. You shouldn’t take NSAIDs if you’re
asthmatic. If you have stomach problems
Painkillers are usually after using over-the-counter medication,
the first treatment for you should stop taking the tablets and
see your doctor.
osteoarthritis, and
a short course may
See Arthritis Research UK
ease pain caused by
drug leaflets Non-steroidal anti-
other problems. inflammatory drugs; Painkillers.
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There’s a tear-off
discomfort during or following exercise
section at the back of
are normal and should be expected,
this booklet – try some if an exercise makes your symptoms
of the exercises to help significantly worse it should be stopped.
stretch and strengthen It’s common for people to stop exercising
once their pain has cleared up, but if you
your hip.
stop exercising all the improvements to
your physical condition disappear within
a few weeks. It’s important that you
continue with exercise on a regular basis
and don’t stop when the pain is gone and
you’re feeling better.
Exercise See Arthritis Research UK booklet
An episode of hip pain may respond to Keep moving.
rest, but you should still do some gentle
exercise to avoid the hip becoming
Reducing the strain
stiff and your muscles weakening. We
It’s generally best to carry on doing your
recommend that you don’t rest for more
normal activities, but try not to overdo
than a few days – start some gentle
things. You might need to pace yourself
exercise as soon as the pain begins to
to allow you to do a little bit more each
ease. Simple exercises can help to restore
day. Try the following tips:
your range of movement, promote
strength, ease stiffness and get your hip • Avoid sitting in low chairs as this bends
back to normal. the hip a lot and might give you more
pain.
The exercises provided in the tear-off
section at the end of this booklet are • Don’t carry heavy weights. Use a trolley
designed to stretch, strengthen and when you go shopping if carrying a
stabilise the structures that support your basket is uncomfortable.
hip. They may not be suitable for all types • Find a comfortable sitting position at
of hip pain, so it’s a good idea to get work to lessen the strain on your hip.
advice from a doctor or physiotherapist
• Use a stick to make walking a bit easier
about specific exercises before you begin.
– a physiotherapist can assess you and
Start by exercising very gently and build
tell you how to use it properly.
up gradually.
• Lose weight if you’re overweight.
As with any physical activity, you’ll need
to use some common sense in doing • Alter activities where you have to stand
these exercises. While some aches or on one leg; for example, when you get
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