Hip pain

Category: Muscles, Bones & Joints · All muscles & joints symptoms

What it can feel like

Hip pain is usually felt in the groin or front of the thigh when it truly comes from the hip joint; pain on the outer side of the hip is more often the tendons and fluid sacs there. Hip pain changes walking, sleep and stairs, and in older people a painful hip after a fall raises the question of fracture.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Hip pain can be associated with osteoarthritis of the joint, inflammation of the outer hip tendons and bursa (greater trochanteric pain), muscle strains, and irritation of the labrum (the cartilage rim) in younger, active people.

Other possible causes

Hip pain can also be associated with fracture (including stress fractures), loss of blood supply to the ball of the joint, inflammatory arthritis, infection, and tumours. In children, hip problems can present as a limp or knee pain.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Hip pain after a fall with inability to bear weight — urgent
Hip pain with fever and a hot joint
A child with hip pain, a limp or reluctance to walk — same-day assessment
Groin pain with unexplained weight loss or constant night pain

What a clinician may do

A clinician will examine how the hip rotates (log roll), watch you walk, and examine the back as well. X-rays are the first imaging step; MRI follows when X-rays are normal but suspicion remains — for example stress fractures or early loss of blood supply.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does hip arthritis hurt in the groin, not the hip?

The hip joint sits deep in the groin crease, and its nerve supply shares roots with the front of the thigh and knee. True joint pain is therefore usually groin or front-thigh pain, while outer-hip pain over the bony point is usually tendon and bursa trouble — different problem, different treatment.

My hip pain is worst lying on that side — what does that suggest?

That pattern points to the outer hip structures — the gluteal tendons and bursa over the bony prominence — rather than the joint itself. It is a common, treatable pattern managed mainly with load management and specific exercises.

Related symptoms — Muscles, Bones & Joints

A joint that locks or gives way Aching and stiffness in the shoulders and hips Aching muscles Ankle pain Back pain Elbow pain

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Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.