Getting out of your chair, climbing stairs, sleeping on your side, going on long walks — these activities can be more than a little painful when you have hip problems.
While there are many roads to achy hips, hip osteoarthritis (OA) and hip bursitis are among the more common, and these two conditions are the focus of this month’s blog.
At New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine, our skilled team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons has a good deal of experience helping patients find relief from nagging hip pain.
Critical to this success is correctly identifying the cause of your hip pain. With that in mind, let’s dive into typical symptoms that come with hip arthritis and hip bursitis.
The more common of the two conditions is hip osteoarthritis.
OA, in general, affects more than 33 million Americans and occurs when protective cartilage that covers the bones in a joint breaks down. When this happens, you get friction between the bones, which causes pain and inflammation.
The prevalence of hip OA in the US has risen by about 25% over the past three decades, which means that there are a lot of Americans who are struggling with painful hips.
The primary signs of hip OA include:
Hip OA is progressive, so these symptoms may start out intermittently, often after exercise. Gradually, and as the cartilage breaks down, the symptoms can become more constant and more severe.
The human body contains about 150 bursa sacs, which are fluid-filled pockets that act as cushions between different tissues to prevent friction. With bursitis, the sac becomes irritated and inflamed, which can lead to pain.
Hip bursitis usually involves one of two bursa sacs: one that covers the bony point of your hip, called the greater trochanter, and the iliopsoas bursa located on the inside of your hip in your groin.
Symptoms of hip bursitis depend upon which bursa is affected, so let’s take a look at each:
This is the more common type of hip bursitis, and symptoms include:
Many people with this condition also have trouble getting out of chairs or going on long walks.
Given the location of this type of bursitis, the location of the pain is slightly different — you feel it in the front of your hip and in your groin.
Like other forms of hip bursitis, you can also experience trouble with certain movements, such as climbing stairs. One thing to keep an eye on is whether you have trouble with certain positions of your legs, such as crossing them, which can lead to pain when you have iliopsoas bursitis.
This blog is only meant to guide you. The best way to determine what’s causing your hip pain is to see the team at New Braunfels Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine for an extensive evaluation that includes a review of symptoms and advanced imaging.
Armed with the right diagnosis, we can work on improving your ability to move without pain in your all-important hips.
For expert diagnosis and care of your hip pain, we invite you to contact us today in New Braunfels, Texas. Request an appointment by calling the office at 830-341-1386 or using our convenient online form.
