At a glance
What it is
Pain around the hip joint from problems within the joint itself, the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons, or referred from other areas such as the lower back.
Symptoms
Pain on the inside of the hip or groin suggests joint problems; pain on the outside, upper thigh, or outer buttock suggests soft-tissue problems.
Approach
Identify the cause from history, location, and clinical examination; treat the underlying condition rather than imaging findings alone.
What the location of hip pain means
Hip pain is a common complaint that can be caused by a wide variety of problems. The precise location of your hip pain can provide valuable clues about the underlying cause.
Problems within the hip joint itself tend to result in pain on the inside of your hip or your groin. Hip pain on the outside of your hip, upper thigh or outer buttock is usually caused by problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround your hip joint.
Hip pain can sometimes be caused by diseases and conditions in other areas of your body, such as your lower back. This type of pain is called referred pain.
Causes of hip pain
Hip pain may be caused by arthritis, injuries, pinched nerves, cancer, or other problems.
**Arthritis** - Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) - Osteoarthritis (disease causing the breakdown of joints) - Psoriatic arthritis - Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory joint disease) - Septic arthritis
**Injuries** - Bursitis (joint inflammation) - Dislocation - Hip fracture - Hip labral tear - Inguinal hernia - Sprains - Tendinitis
**Pinched nerves** - Meralgia paresthetica - Sacroiliitis - Sciatica
**Cancer** - Advanced (metastatic) cancer that has spread to the bones - Bone cancer - Leukemia
**Other problems** - Avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue due to limited blood flow) - Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (in children) - Osteomyelitis (a bone infection) - Osteoporosis - Synovitis
Book a consultation
The secretary schedules first appointments during clinic hours; please have prior imaging, operative notes and a current medication list available at the time of the call.
This page provides general information about hip pain and is not a substitute for individual medical assessment. If your symptoms are severe or worsening, contact a clinician promptly.