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Hip Injuries, Age 12 and Older
Topic Overview
A hip injury and pain can make it hard to walk, go up and down stairs, squat, or sleep on the side that hurts. A clicking or snapping feeling or sound around your hip joint ( snapping hip) may bother you or cause you to worry. But if your hip is not painful, in many cases the click or snap is nothing to worry about. Home treatment may be all that is needed for minor hip symptoms.
To better understand hip injuries, it may be helpful to know how the hip works. It is the largest ball-and-socket joint in the body. The thighbone (femur) fits tightly into a cup-shaped socket (acetabulum) in the pelvis. The hip joint is tighter and more stable than the shoulder joint but it does not move as freely. The hip joint is held together by muscles in the buttock, groin, and spine; tendons; ligaments; and a joint capsule. Several fluid-filled sacs (bursae) cushion and lubricate the hip joint and let the tendons and muscles glide and move smoothly. The largest nerve in the body (sciatic nerve) passes through the pelvis into the leg.
Hip injuries
Injuries are a common cause of hip problems. You may not remember a specific injury, especially if your symptoms began slowly or during everyday activities.
- Overuse injuries occur from repeating the same activity. The repeated activity, such as running or bicycling long distances, stresses the hip joint and may cause irritation and inflammation. Examples of overuse injuries include irritation of the large sac (bursae) that cushions the bones of the hip joint (trochanteric bursitis), irritation of the tendons in the hip (tendinitis), muscle strain, and hairline cracks (stress fracture) in the neck of the thighbone (femur).
- A sudden (acute) injury may occur from a fall on the hip, a direct blow to the hip or knee, or abnormal twisting or bending of the leg. Examples of acute injuries that may cause hip pain include:
- A broken hip (hip fracture) or pelvis (pelvic fracture), such as an avulsion fracture
- A dislocated hip or sprained hip.
- Muscle strain in the groin or buttock.
- Severe bruising (contusion).
Treatment for a hip injury depends on the location, type, and severity of the injury as well as your age, general health, and activities (such as work, sports, hobbies). Treatment may include first aid measures; application of a brace, cast, harness, or traction; physical therapy; medicines; or surgery.
Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a doctor.
Check Your Symptoms
The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have.
- If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts (such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina) you now have in the area where you are having symptoms.
- If your symptoms aren’t related to those organs, you can choose the gender you identify with.
- If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice (once as “male” and once as “female”). This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you.
Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:
- Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
- Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.
- Medicines you take. Certain medicines, herbal remedies, and supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.
- Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.
- Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.
Try Home Treatment
You have answered all the questions. Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home.
- Try home treatment to relieve the symptoms.
- Call your doctor if symptoms get worse or you have any concerns (for example, if symptoms are not getting better as you would expect). You may need care sooner.
Major trauma is any event that can cause very serious injury, such as:
- A fall from more than 10 ft (3.1 m)[more than 5 ft (1.5 m) for children under 2 years and adults over 65].
- A car crash in which any vehicle involved was going more than 20 miles (32 km) per hour.
- Any event that causes severe bleeding that you cannot control.
- Any event forceful enough to badly break a large bone (like an arm bone or leg bone).
Pain in adults and older children
- Severe pain (8 to 10): The pain is so bad that you can’t stand it for more than a few hours, can’t sleep, and can’t do anything else except focus on the pain.
- Moderate pain (5 to 7): The pain is bad enough to disrupt your normal activities and your sleep, but you can tolerate it for hours or days. Moderate can also mean pain that comes and goes even if it’s severe when it’s there.
- Mild pain (1 to 4): You notice the pain, but it is not bad enough to disrupt your sleep or activities.
Symptoms of infection may include:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in or around the area.
- Red streaks leading from the area.
- Pus draining from the area.
- A fever.
Certain health conditions and medicines weaken the immune system’s ability to fight off infection and illness. Some examples in adults are:
- Diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.
- Long-term alcohol and drug problems.
- Steroid medicines, which may be used to treat a variety of conditions.
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer.
- Other medicines used to treat autoimmune disease.
- Medicines taken after organ transplant.
- Not having a spleen.
When an area turns blue, very pale, or cold, it can mean that there has been a sudden change in the blood supply to the area. This can be serious.
There are other reasons for color and temperature changes. Bruises often look blue. A limb may turn blue or pale if you leave it in one position for too long, but its normal color returns after you move it. What you are looking for is a change in how the area looks (it turns blue or pale) and feels (it becomes cold to the touch), and this change does not go away.
Shock is a life-threatening condition that may quickly occur after a sudden illness or injury.
Adults and older children often have several symptoms of shock. These include:
- Passing out (losing consciousness).
- Feeling very dizzy or lightheaded, like you may pass out.
- Feeling very weak or having trouble standing.
- Not feeling alert or able to think clearly. You may be confused, restless, fearful, or unable to respond to questions.
With severe bleeding, any of these may be true:
- Blood is pumping from the wound.
- The bleeding does not stop or slow down with pressure.
- Blood is quickly soaking through bandage after bandage.
With moderate bleeding, any of these may be true:
- The bleeding slows or stops with pressure but starts again if you remove the pressure.
- The blood may soak through a few bandages, but it is not fast or out of control.
With mild bleeding, any of these may be true:
- The bleeding stops on its own or with pressure.
- The bleeding stops or slows to an ooze or trickle after 15 minutes of pressure. It may ooze or trickle for up to 45 minutes.
Seek Care Today
Based on your answers, you may need care soon. The problem probably will not get better without medical care.
- Call your doctor today to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care.
- If you cannot reach your doctor or you don’t have one, seek care today.
- If it is evening, watch the symptoms and seek care in the morning.
- If the symptoms get worse, seek care sooner.
Call 911 Now
Based on your answers, you need emergency care.
Call911or other emergency services now.
Make an Appointment
Based on your answers, the problem may not improve without medical care.
- Make an appointment to see your doctor in the next 1 to 2 weeks.
- If appropriate, try home treatment while you are waiting for the appointment.
- If symptoms get worse or you have any concerns, call your doctor. You may need care sooner.
Seek Care Now
Based on your answers, you may need care right away. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care.
- Call your doctor now to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care.
- If you cannot reach your doctor or you don’t have one, seek care in the next hour.
- You do not need to call an ambulance unless:
- You cannot travel safely either by driving yourself or by having someone else drive you.
- You are in an area where heavy traffic or other problems may slow you down.
Call 911 Now
Based on your answers, you need emergency care.
Call911or other emergency services now.
Put direct, steady pressure on the wound until help arrives. Keep the area raised if you can.
Home Treatment
Home treatment may help relieve hip pain, swelling, and stiffness.
- Rest. Try to rest and protect an injured or sore area. Stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing your pain or soreness.
- Sleep on your uninjured hip with a pillow between your knees, or sleep on your back with pillows beneath your knees.
- Gently massage or rub your hip to relieve pain and help blood flow.
- For the first 1 to 2 days after an injury, do not do things that might increase swelling, such as taking hot showers or use hot tubs, hot packs, or alcohol beverages.
- Do not use aspirin for the first 24 hours after an injury. Aspirin may cause more bruising under the skin.
- After 2 to 3 days, if you do not have swelling or the swelling is gone, you can put heat on the area. Moist heat with a hot water bottle, warm towel, or a heating pad set on low may feel good on your hip. You can carefully begin normal activities and gentle stretching.
- Prone buttocks squeeze, to strengthen the buttocks muscles. These muscles support your back and help you lift with your legs.
- Pelvic tilts, to stretch the lower back
- Hamstring stretch, to stretch the muscles in the back of the thigh
- Hip flexor stretch, to stretch the muscles in the hip that help the hip glide and work smoothly
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Try a nonprescription medicine to help treat your fever or pain: |
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Be sure to follow these safety tips when you use a nonprescription medicine: |
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Do not smoke. Smoking may delay healing because it interferes with blood supply and tissue healing. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
Cast care tips
If you have a cast, see cast care tips.
Symptoms to watch for during home treatment
Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:
- Pain or swelling develops.
- Signs of infection develop.
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness develops.
- Pale, white, blue, or cold skin develops.
- Symptoms do not get better with home treatment.
- Symptoms become more severe or more frequent.
Prevention
The following tips may prevent hip injuries.
Keep bones strong
- Eat foods rich in calcium, like yogurt, cheese, milk, and dark green vegetables. Eat foods rich in vitamin D, like eggs, fatty fish, cereal, and fortified milk.
- Exercise and stay active. It is best to do weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights, for 2½ hours a week. One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. In addition to weight-bearing exercise, experts recommend that you do resistance exercises at least 2 days a week. Talk to your doctor about an exercise program that is right for you. Begin slowly, especially if you have not been active. For more information, see the topic Fitness.
- Don’t drink more than 2 alcohol drinks a day if you are a man, or 1 alcohol drink a day if you are a woman. People who drink more than this may have a higher chance for developing osteoporosis. Alcohol use also increases your chance of falling and breaking a bone.
- Stop or do not begin smoking. Smoking also increases your chance for developing osteoporosis. It also interferes with blood supply and healing. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
Prevent hip injuries
- Wear your seat belt in a car.
- Do not carry objects that are too heavy.
- Use a step stool. Do not stand on chairs or other unsteady objects.
- Wear protective gear during sports or recreational activities, such as roller-skating or soccer. Supportive splints, such as wrist guards, may lower your chance for injury.
- Do not do activities that make one side of the pelvis higher than the other, such as running in only one direction on a track or working sideways on a slope. Keep your hips level.
Reduce falls
Hip injuries can happen from falls. Do all you can to prevent falls.
- Remove any obstacles from your walking path and fix anything in your house that may cause you to fall. Household hazards that can cause falls include slippery floors, poor lighting, cluttered walkways, throw rugs, raised doorway thresholds, and electrical cords.
- Keep furniture or other items that have sharp edges away from normal walking pathways in your house.
- Use nonskid floor wax, and wipe up spills immediately.
- Have your vision and hearing checked regularly. If you have poor vision or hearing, you may have a harder time keeping your balance.
- Know the side effects of any medicines you are taking. Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether the medicines you are taking can change your balance. For example, sleeping pills or sedatives can change your balance.
- Check the condition of your shoes on a regular basis. Wear low-heeled shoes that fit well and give your feet good support.
- Have a lot of lights in your house, especially on stairways, porches, and outside walkways. Use night-lights in areas such as hallways and bathrooms. Add extra light switches or use remote switches, such as switches that go on or off when you clap your hands, to make it easier to turn lights on if you have to get up during the night.
- Have sturdy handrails on stairways.
- Put grab bars and nonskid mats inside and outside your shower or tub and near the toilet and sinks. Use shower chairs and bath benches.
- Be safe when you go outdoors. Use a cane or walker if you need to. If you live in an area that gets snow and ice in the winter, have a family member or friend sprinkle salt or sand on slippery steps and sidewalks.
If you live alone, you may want to get an emergency contact bracelet or necklace. If you fall and can’t get to the phone, you can press the button on your bracelet or necklace. This calls 911 or an emergency number for you so that help can be sent.
Exercises to stretch and strengthen your hip and back area
Warm up and stretch before exercising to prevent muscle strains and injury.
- Prone buttocks squeeze, to strengthen the buttocks muscles. These muscles support your back and help you lift with your legs.
- Pelvic tilts to stretch the lower back
- Hamstring stretch to stretch the muscles in the back of the thigh
- Hip flexor stretch to stretch the muscles in the hip that help the hip glide and work smoothly
Preparing For Your Appointment
To prepare for your appointment, see the topicMaking the Most of Your Appointment.
You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:
- What are your main symptoms? How long have you had your symptoms?
- How and when did an injury occur?
- Have you had any injuries in the past to the same area? Do you have any continuing problems because of the previous injury?
- Do you have hip pain when you walk? How far can you walk without discomfort? Does the pain get better or worse as you continue to walk?
- What activities make your symptoms better or worse?
- What sports activities are you involved in? Have you recently started a new activity?
- Do you think that activities related to your job or hobbies caused your symptoms?
- What home treatment measures have you tried? Did they help?
- What nonprescription medicines have you tried? Did they help?
- What prescription and nonprescription medicines do you take?
- Do you have any health risks that may increase the seriousness of your symptoms?
Current as of: June 26, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:William H. Blahd Jr. MD, FACEP – Emergency Medicine & Adam Husney MD – Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD – Family Medicine
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