May 6, 2022
Chronic hip pain can impair daily activities while affecting the patient’s quality of life. It can result in mild or severe physical discomfort around the hip area. The prevalence of hip pain increases with age. Chronic hip pain occurs due to an injury or a pre-existing condition like arthritis.
Symptoms of chronic hip pain in adults include soreness, tenderness, and decreased walking tolerance.
Conditions that cause chronic hip pain
Below are some of the conditions that can cause chronic hip pain:
1. Arthritis
Arthritis is a common cause of chronic long-term hip pain in adults. This condition results in stiff and tender joints, pain, and difficulty walking. Arthritis causes inflammation of the hip joint and the breakdown of the cartilage that covers the hip bones. Various types of arthritis that cause hip pain include:
- Osteoarthritis: occurs due to age-related wearing down of the joints’ cartilage. This results in stiffness, swelling, and pain in the hip.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: an autoimmune disorder in which your body attacks the protective lining around the joint, causing fluid build-up. Rheumatoid arthritis destroys joint cartilage and bone, causing chronic symptoms.
- Infectious arthritis: caused by a joint infection that destroys the cartilage.
2. Trochanteric Bursitis
Trochanteric bursitis occurs due to the inflammation of the bursa (a liquid-filled sack close to the hip joint). Joint overuse, hip injury, and posture problems are the common causes of trochanteric bursitis. Repetitive activities can irritate or overwork the hip joint causing inflammation of the bursa.
Although people of all ages can suffer from trochanteric bursitis, the condition is prevalent in middle-aged and older people.
3. Labral Tears
The labrum is the cartilage ring that keeps the thighbone ball in place. Labral tears are common in athletes and ballerinas and cause chronic hip limiting movement.
When you have labral tears, you feel like your hip is locking, clicking, or catching. Usually, pain from labral tears doesn’t go away.
4. Tendinitis/Tendinopathy
Inflammation or degeneration of the tendon are common in older adults and can cause chronic hip pain. Those suffering from tendon injury experience pain, especially when moving the affected hip, mild swelling, and tenderness.
Some causes of tendinitis or tendinopathy include repetitive motions, awkward positions, forceful exertions, and engaging in sports activities.
5. Hip Fracture
Hip fractures are cracks and breaks in the femur – the thigh bone close to the hip joint. An injury or a fall to the side of the hip may cause a hip fracture. Sometimes, hip fractures occur due to health conditions like osteoporosis or cancer that weaken the bones.
Older adults are more likely to get hip fractures, resulting in chronic hip pain. Hip fractures result in sudden and severe hip pain, often requiring immediate medical attention. In most cases, patients require surgery to correct hip fractures and alleviate chronic hip pain.
6. Bone Cancer
Bone cancers occur due to the abnormal growth of bone cells in your body. Chronic hip pain is one of the major symptoms of bone cancer in the hip. Some patients experience a mass or swelling in the hip.
Radiation exposure and hereditary factors have been linked to bone cancer that causes chronic hip pain.
Conclusion
Chronic hip pain is a condition mainly affecting older adults. This condition may hinder your daily activities and decrease your quality of life. Some conditions behind chronic hip pain include hip osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinopathy; most of these injuries respond well to regenerative treatments. If you experience any signs of chronic hip pain, seek immediate medical assistance. You can book an appointment with us by filling out this form.
Jun 10, 2020
As one of the body’s largest joints, the hip gets its fair share of wear-and-tear over the years. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, consisting of the femoral head at the top of the thighbone (ball) and the acetabulum in the pelvis bone (socket).
Chronic hip pain often develops in those over the age of 50, but can occur earlier, especially in those who are overweight or who have had a previous hip injury or surgery. Some people are born with abnormalities of the joint that put them at higher risk for hip issues as well.
Common symptoms of hip problems include:
- Groin pain
- Limping
- Decreased range of motion and stiffness
- Tenderness around the front or back of the hip
- Clicking, popping or locking of the joint
Why Do I Have Chronic Hip Pain?
Common causes of hip pain include:
- Osteoarthritis: chronic degeneration of the cartilage and inflammation of the hip tissues and joint fluid. The degeneration can be accelerated by trauma causing damage to the cartilage and subtle irregularities in how the hip developed in childhood.
- Bursitis: inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that cushion the tendons overlying the bones
- Tendinitis and tendon tears: damage to the tendons in the hip, often from overuse or muscle weakness
- Labral tears: injury to the labrum, a soft cartilage tissue that surrounds the hip socket
- Sacroiliitis: Inflammation of the sacroiliac joints where your lower spine and pelvis connect.
- Avascular necrosis: impaired blood flow to the hip bone causes damage
The good news for patients suffering from chronic hip pain is that advances in regenerative medicine are giving hope to those who feared that total joint replacement therapy was their only option.
San Diego Orthobiologics Medical Group offers several advanced regenerative therapies for hip joint pain:
- Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy uses growth factors from the platelets in the patient’s own blood by releasing substances called growth factors concentrates platelets to stimulate tissue healing for degenerative joints and soft tissue injuries.
- ENDORET PRGF (platelet rich in growth factors) contains proteins that stimulate the tissue repair processes, including new blood vessel formation, cell mobilization and cell proliferation. PRGF can accelerate healing and minimize inflammation that reduces pain.
- Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC): utilizes your own bone marrow which contains cells that have the ability to improve circulation, decrease inflammation and promote healing in tendons, ligaments and cartilage. BMAC provides highly concentrated regenerative cells to support a robust healing response through a simple office procedure.
- LIPOGEMS® is an FDA-compliant device for processing and same-day use of your own adipose tissue (fat) to treat joint and tendon injuries. Adipose tissue is a rich source of adipose derived stem cells and other regenerative orthobiologics.
- Prolotherapy, also known as “proliferative therapy,” delivers dextrose and other medications to help regenerate tissue and stimulate a healing response in a chronically injured ligament, tendon or joint. Prolotherapy is often combined with PRP therapy to expedite healing.
- Alpha 2 Microglobulin (A2M) uses uses orthobiologics from a patient’s own blood to stop the progression of joint degeneration, decrease inflammation and promote tissue healing.
These treatments offer better safety than most surgical procedures as they are minimally invasive and are performed in our office procedure suite. Patients do not require hospitalization, or a lengthy recovery. Many patients are able to resume normal activities within days of their treatment and see pain relief within weeks.
Drs. Christopher Rogers and Mary Ambach of San Diego Orthobiologics Medical Group are leaders in the field of regenerative medicine for orthopedic conditions. They were the first in San Diego to use Lipogems® as well as ENDORET PRGF therapy for the treatment of orthopedic conditions.
Sources:
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/total-hip-replacement/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sacroiliitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350747
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hip-pain/basics/causes/sym-20050684
