Hip Symptoms
The most common symptoms of hip problems are pain and stiffness. Hip pain of any cause is commonly felt in the groin. Hip felt around the outside of the hip or buttock tends to be caused by lower back problems or inflammation of a sack of fluid on the outer aspect of the hip, the trochanteric bursa. The hip can be affected by a number of conditions including:
This is a disease that affects the articular cartilage of the hip joint and commonly occurs from 50 years of age onwards. It leads to pain and stiffness which affects a person’s ability to walk and can classically cause problems with putting shoes and socks on and trimming toe nails. It can run in families but can occur after trauma to the hip or following problems with the hip in childhood.
This is part of a group of “inflammatory arthritides”. Many other joints such as fingers, wrists, shoulders, knees and feet are affected. It can occur in young people. It is caused by the body attacking the lining of the joint leading eventually to destruction and deformity of the affected joint.
Serious or repetitive injuries of the hip can lead to damage of the cartilage lining. This in turn can lead to arthritis with pain and stiffness.
This is caused when the blood supply of the hip is affected and effectively “cut off”. Most of the time a cause is not identified but recognized causes are:
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Chronic steroid use such as in diseases as Asthma
- Certain blood deficiencies leading to blood clots
- Following a fracture in the hip
The lack of blood supply can cause the head of the hip to collapse but it can be very painful even without collapse.
Hip disorders of childhood such as Perthes, Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis and a congenitally dislocated hip can lead to premature osteoarthritis in a patient’s 30s or 40s.
