---
title: "Hip Pain: Specialist Summary"
description: "Hip arthritis, impingement, bursitis or back-related pain: assessment and options."
date: 2026-10-22
canonical: https://drmotiva.com/en/guides/hip-pain/
lang: en
---

# Hip Pain: Specialist Summary

Hip pain can come from causes around the joint, such as hip osteoarthritis, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), labral tears and bursitis or tendon problems, or be referred from the lower back. Whether the pain is felt in the groin, on the side or at the back of the hip gives clues to the likely cause. Diagnosis is made by examination and, when needed, imaging, and treatment is planned accordingly.

## When to see a doctor

- Pain lasting several weeks, making walking, sitting or putting on shoes difficult
- Groin pain, limping or restricted hip movement
- **Emergency (red flags):** inability to bear weight after a fall (especially in older people), which may be a fracture; severe hip pain with fever (infection); unexplained groin pain in long-term corticosteroid users (assess for avascular necrosis)
- Pain spreading down the leg, numbness or weakness, which may originate from the lower back

## Treatment options

- **Conservative:** activity modification, weight control, appropriate medication and a walking stick when needed
- **Physical medicine and rehabilitation:** strengthening of the muscles around the hip, flexibility and gait training, and physical modalities when needed
- **Injections:** ultrasound-guided intra-articular or bursa injections in selected patients
- **Surgery:** joint replacement in advanced osteoarthritis, arthroscopy in selected FAI/labral cases, surgical treatment of fractures

**Surgery or not?** When unclear, it is important to establish whether the pain truly comes from the hip joint or from the lower back or surrounding tissues, using examination, imaging and, when needed, diagnostic injection and EMG. Loss of function, response to treatment and the patient’s expectations are then considered together by physical medicine and rehabilitation and orthopaedic specialists.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is a clicking hip dangerous?** Painless clicking is usually harmless; if it persists or comes with pain or locking, it should be assessed.

**Can hip pain come from the back?** Yes; the lower back should be examined, especially for pain at the back of the hip or spreading down the leg.

**Is rehabilitation needed after hip replacement?** Yes, physical medicine and rehabilitation is part of recovery.

## Sources

- [NICE NG226 – Osteoarthritis in over 16s](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226)
- [AAOS OrthoInfo – Osteoarthritis of the Hip](https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-hip/)
- [NHS – Hip pain in adults](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hip-pain/)
- [WHO – Osteoarthritis](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/osteoarthritis)