Is it my hip or my back? 5 causes of hip and lower back pain.
As an orthopedic surgeon, when I hear about complaints of “hip” pain, I think of pain in the hip joint or groin. But as it turns out, the word “hip” can refer to lots of different areas such as the groin (front of the hip), buttock (back of the hip or glutes), side of the hip, or even the lowest part of the lower back. It’s not uncommon that hip pain is actually coming from the spine or lower back.
Here‘s a breakdown of 5 common problems I see:
Hip joint arthritis typically leads to pain in the groin (front of the hip) with activity. It is usually worse with stairs, getting in and out of cars, loss of hip motion makes certain daily tasks like putting socks and shoes on difficult. It’s caused by the loss of cartilage in the hip socket.
Spinal stenosis is compression of a spinal nerve or bundle of nerves that can cause pain in the buttocks (back of the hip). This type of pain is usually worse with standing and walking and immediately better with sitting. It’s caused by arthritis in the spine that compresses nerves.
Hip bursitis and tendinitis refers to inflammation of the tendons around the hip or the bursa (fluid filled sac) on the side of the hip. Bursitis can be particularly painful at night when lying on your side. Sometimes this pain can cause radiating pain towards the knee similar to nerve pain from the lower back.
Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction is a problem of the complex joint formed by the sacrum (wedge-shaped, lowest part of the spine) and the bony part of the pelvis. Because it can generate pain in many areas, diagnosing SI joint pain can be challenging.
Torn labrum in the hip refers to a tear in the rubber gasket of the back and socket hip joint. It can be a source of pain and lead to early arthritis.
Because the overlap in symptoms, a thorough evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon is important to ensure you are treating the correct problem. To schedule an appointment, either in-office or using video on your phone, call (410) 268-8862. To learn more about hip injuries, visit Dr. Ben Petre.