5 Common Causes of Hip Pain

Hip pain can strike when you least expect it, and when it doesn’t resolve on its own in a short time, it can interfere with your day-to-day life. Simple tasks like bending to pick up an item from the floor or climbing stairs can bring on pain. This causes many people with hip pain to reduce their activity, missing out on things they enjoy. 

Bruce Fishman, MD, specializes in regenerative orthopedic care and uses the latest in regenerative medicine to help people get relief from chronic pain, including hip pain. Each year, orthopedic surgeons perform more than 450,000 hip replacement surgeries, and while surgery is appropriate in cases where the hip is severely damaged, regenerative treatments may delay or even prevent the need for surgery. 

In this post, we discuss some of the five most common causes of hip pain and how regenerative treatment can help you get relief.

1. Hip osteoarthritis

Age-related wear-and-tear (osteoarthritis) of the hip joint is the most common cause of hip pain. Osteoarthritis affects more than 32 million people, and it gets worse over time. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that cushions your joints gradually breaks down, allowing the bones to rub together. This causes pain, swelling, and stiffness and reduces joint mobility. 

2. Tendinitis of the hip

Your tendons are tough fibrous tissues that connect your muscles to your bones. Whether from overuse or injury, tendons can become irritated and inflamed. Tendinitis can affect any tendon and commonly affects the hip, causing pain and tenderness that often develops gradually. 

3. Hip bursitis

The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions the bone, tendons, and muscles of joints. Bursae are located throughout the body. When the hip bursa becomes inflamed, you may experience aches and stiffness. Certain sports and jobs that require repetitive hip movement increase your risk of hip bursitis. 

4. Hip impingement

Hip impingement is common in people of all ages, including adolescents and young adults. It occurs when the ball of the hip pinches against the cup of the hip. There are two types of hip impingement. One type is caused by a deformity of the ball of the hip (femoral head). The second type occurs when the cup is abnormally shaped (acetabulum). 

Most people with hip impingement experience joint stiffness and pain that worsens when you bend or flex at the hip.

5. Labral tear

A ring of cartilage — called the labrum — surrounds the hip socket and keeps the ball of the thigh bone in place. When the labrum tears, it causes hip pain. You may feel like your hip sticks or locks with movement.

Certain sports raise your risk of a labral tear. It may also occur with age as a result of age-related changes. Some people who experience a labral tear have abnormalities in the structure of the hip. 

Regenerative treatment for hip pain

Stem cell therapy is pioneering treatment for orthopedic pain. The goal of this noninvasive therapy is to stimulate and support your body’s natural ability to repair and replace damaged tissues. 

Treating chronic pain in the musculoskeletal system, such as the hips, has proven valuable in easing hip pain and combating osteoarthritis in the hips.

By introducing stem cells to an injured area, the restorative process begins. When injected into tissue, stem cells are capable of taking on the same role as the existing tissue. In the face of hip arthritis, stem cells have the capability of turning into cartilage, which is a novel way to replace damaged cartilage.

To learn more about how stem cell therapy can ease your hip pain — whatever the cause — schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Fishman by calling or booking your request online. Relief from chronic hip pain is within reach.