Overview
Hip pain isn’t a health condition on its own but a sign of an underlying problem. Hip pain [1] is a general term and the pain isn’t always directly felt at the hip. You may feel it at the crease of the groin or around your thigh. It is a common condition that has a wide variety of causes. These causes may be mild or serious. The severity and location of the pain might be useful in determining the underlying problem.
The hips are the regions below the waist and above the thigh in the body. Each hip has a joint where the long bone of the thigh (femur) meets with the pelvis in a socket called the acetabulum. Most types of pain in the hip result from problems with this joint or the muscles and ligaments around it.
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of hip pain [2]. The pain arises from the destruction of the cartilages that surround the hip joint and provide cushioning to your bones when you move your hips. Hip pain from osteoarthritis is most intense when transitioning from rest to motion. The pain usually subsides after a period of activity but this is not always the case. If the damage to the joints is severe, the pain may persist even during rest and sustained mild physical activity.
There are many other conditions beyond osteoarthritis that can cause hip pain. If the cause isn’t obvious, your symptoms might provide a clue. This article discusses common symptoms associated with hip pain.