Hip Pain

What Is Hip Pain? 

Hip pain is any pain or discomfort you feel in or around your hip joint, which is the ball and socket on either side of your pelvis. It can range from temporary discomfort, like an ache due to an injury, to near-constant, long-term pain. The pain itself might feel like a dull throbbing, a sharp, stabbing pain, or a burning sensation. 

What’s Causing Your Hip Pain? 

While they’re some of the most stable joints in your body, the bone, muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your hips can wear down. Some of the most common causes of hip pain include: 

• High-impact sports  

• Repetitive movements 

• Structural hip issues 

• Injuries 

• Inflammation 

• Breakdown of soft tissues due to aging

Hip Pain Location Diagram: Narrowing Down the Pain 

Your hips cover a large area, so it can be a challenge to pinpoint your pain. Use this hip pain location diagram to help you. 

Where Is Your Hip Pain? 

Inner Hip Pain

Side Hip Pain

Outer Hip Pain

Front Hip Pain

Back of Hip Pain

Inner Hip Pain  

Your flexor muscles are a group of muscles at the front, inner part of your hip that help you bend your knees. They’re also a source of inner hip pain. 

• Tight hip flexors: Hip flexors can feel stiff, uncomfortable, and achy. You might even feel a sharp pain if you make a sudden movement. 

• Hip flexor strains and tears: Too much weight or use can strain your hip flexors. Tears are caused by the same factors as strains, but involve more tissue damage.  

• Hip flexor tendonitis: This happens when you overload or damage the tendons attached to the hip flexor muscles.   

Outer Hip Pain  

The outside of your hip is where the joint is located. This makes it prone to several different causes of hip pain. 

• Arthritis: This breakdown of the cartilage in the hip joints is one of the most common reasons for hip pain and stiffness, especially among older adults.  

• Bursitis: It’s easy to confuse arthritis with bursitis, which is an inflammation of small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints.  

• Dancer’s hip: Also called “snapping hip syndrome,” this is when you can feel the soft tissues in your hips moving over the bone.  

Front Hip Pain 

Pain in the front of your hip often feels like it’s coming from your thigh or groin. It can have a few different causes. 

• Arthritis: You can feel arthritis, which is when the cartilage in your joints breaks down, almost anywhere in your hip, but the front is one of the most common.  

• Labral tears: The band of cartilage around your hip joint can tear from repetitive movements or from sudden trauma.  

• Femoral acetabular impingement (FAI): This is a condition in which your joint isn’t shaped correctly, causing a pinching hip pain. 

• Avascular necrosis: This lack of blood supply to the bone can cause fractures or bone collapse. It often happens after a fall. 

• Femur stress fractures: Repetitive use can cause small fractures in the top of the femur bone. This mostly affects long-distance athletes.  

Back of Hip Pain 

Pain at the back of your hips may feel like it’s coming from your lower back or buttocks and could be caused by the following conditions.  

• Gluteal tendinopathy: This is when the fibers that make up your hip tendons break down, causing pain and tenderness. It’s most common in menopausal women. 

• Sciatica: Compression of the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to just below your knees, can cause radiating hip pain.  

• Sacroiliitis: Inflammation of the joint between the lower part of your spine and your pelvis is a common type of low back pain that you might also feel in your hips.  

Common Hip Injuries 

If you’re experiencing sudden, strong hip pain, you might be wondering about the most common hip injuries. Here’s a quick rundown: 

• Soft tissue injuries: Your muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons can strain and tear, either due to a high impact or from repetitive movements over time.  

• Stress fractures: Repeated pressure on your hips can cause tiny fractures. They’re common in athletes, but can also happen in people with poor bone quality.  

• Dislocation: Blunt force trauma can cause the femur to separate from the pelvic bone. This can happen in sports like football and hockey.

How Can You Treat Your Hip Pain? 

You should consult with a healthcare professional to find the root cause of your hip pain and determine how to treat it. Their recommendations might include: 

• Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE): RICE is an at-home remedy that involves stopping the harmful activity, applying ice, using compression, and lifting the affected body part. 

• Physical therapy: Stretches and exercises can improve your strength and stability, helping to ease hip pain from arthritis or other structural issues.  

• Arch supports: Properly supporting the arches of your feet can help realign your entire body, including your hips.  

• Surgery: For severe hip pain that isn’t responding to other treatments, your doctor might suggest surgery. You might also need surgery for a fracture or dislocation.

Take the Pressure Off with Good Feet Arch Supports 

Poor biomechanics or body alignment can contribute to or cause hip pain. That’s where our arch supports come in. By providing support to all four arches and placing feet in their ideal position, Good Feet Arch Supports align your body up the entire kinetic chain, from the feet to the hips and lower back. With over 300 styles in every size, our arch supports offer a personalized, precise way to help alleviate some types of hip pain.

Bend, Flex, and Step into a Store Near You 

If you have hip pain, your feet might not be the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why we offer free, personalized arch support fittings and test walks so you can see if they’re right for you. Find a nearby store and book an appointment or just stop by; walk-ins are always welcome. 

Find a Store Near You