Hip Pain That Won’t Go Away? Causes, Signs, and When to Seek Help
If your hip pain aches for weeks and rest isn’t helping, it’s normal to wonder if there’s something deeply wrong. While most instances improve with the right care, some cases of hip pain won’t go away on their own and knowing the difference between them is your first step toward relief.
Let’s talk about what causes hip pain, the red flags calling for prompt care, and how to go about determining the appropriate hip pain treatment in Columbus, NE, to help you determine what to do next confidently.
What Causes Hip Pain? Common Causes and Warning Signs
Hip pain stems from many sources, but not all of them are serious. Many cases are mild and settle with rest and a few lifestyle adjustments. However, others point toward conditions that require urgent medical attention.
This is why pinpointing the underlying cause of your pain is crucial: treatment for, say, a muscle strain is drastically different from that for a fracture.
Common Causes of Hip Pain
Most instances of hip pain fall into one of four categories:
- Mechanical and Overuse Injuries: These include strains, tendonitis, bursitis, and other conditions that result from repetitive movements.
- Referred Pain: Nerve irritation, such as sciatica, may trigger pain in other areas of your body, such as your hip.
- Degenerative Conditions: Arthritis and related conditions can cause pain, inflammation, swelling, and other symptoms.
- Other Serious Conditions: Some less common but severe problems, such as fractures and avascular necrosis, can trigger a deep-seated ache in your hips.
Warning Signs of Hip Pain You Should Never Ignore
Some symptoms call for prompt medical evaluation to prevent severe complications. If you notice any signs of these red flags, see a medical provider promptly.
- Severe or sudden hip pain
- Inability to bear weight on your leg
- Visible deformity after an injury
- Significant swelling or bruising
- Fever, redness, or warmth around the joint
- Numbness, weakness, or loss of sensation
- Sudden loss of hip function
Pay attention to two patterns in particular:
- Hip pain at night that wakes you up, since it often accompanies conditions such as bursitis, osteoarthritis, and, in rare cases, serious diseases like cancer
- One-sided hip pain that doesn’t improve, which may stem from problems like tendonitis or nerve compression
What Is a Hip Fracture and Why Is It a Medical Emergency?
A hip fracture is a break in the upper part of your thighbone (femur) near your hip joint. It most often happens after a fall, but it can also occur with very little force if your bones are weakened by conditions like osteoporosis. Some indicators of a hip fracture include:
- Severe pain in your hip or groin area
- Inability to stand or carry weight
- Difficulty moving a leg
- A leg that looks shortened or turned outward
The risk of hip fracture sharply rises with age. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that around 319,000 older adults are hospitalized due to fall-related hip fractures. About 70% of cases treated in the ER are women, and those are just the reported ones.
Mortality is also a critical consideration. One in three older adults dies within a year of sustaining a hip fracture. This age group also has up to eight times higher risk of dying within three months of a hip fracture than those without.
These figures show that hip fractures, especially for older adults, are a medical emergency that shouldn’t be treated with conservative approaches like chiropractic care. If you or a loved one has a fractured hip, go to the Columbus Community Hospital’s ER or your nearest emergency department right away to avoid any complications.
When Should You See a Doctor for Hip Pain?
You should see a doctor for hip pain in these instances:
- It’s debilitating and affecting your life
- It follows an injury
- It doesn’t improve after a few days of self-care
- It comes with fever, redness, or swelling, which indicate an infection
- You can’t place weight on your hip
In doing so, you can address potentially severe complications and prevent your symptoms from worsening into chronic conditions.
That being said, many cases of hip pain respond well to at-home care. When your discomfort is mild and slowly getting better, you can rest, ice the affected area, and avoid aggravating movements to support your healing. You may also receive chiropractic care to address any tension and inflammation causing your pain.
Hip Pain Self-Check: Is It Time to Schedule an Evaluation?
Use this quick self-check to decide whether it is time to schedule a hip pain treatment in Columbus, NE:
- Has your hip pain lasted more than a few days without improving?
- Does your pain return during exercise or daily activities?
- Has your range of motion become limited?
- Does your pain interfere with sleep or everyday tasks?
- Have rest or ice failed to provide relief?
- Is your pain becoming more frequent or intense?
- Have you had repeated episodes of hip pain without a clear cause?
This checklist isn’t a diagnosis, but it can help you decide when it’s time to seek care. If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, it’s a good idea to see a doctor for your hip pain promptly.
Hip Pain that a Columbus Chiropractor Can Help Treat
Driver Chiropractic offers chiropractic care for patients of all ages, from toddlers and children to pregnant individuals and older adults. Dr. Dylan Driver delivers targeted spinal adjustments to help address hip pain stemming from spinal or joint issues.
However, if Dr. Driver suspects a hip fracture, avascular necrosis, joint infection, or other serious diseases, chiropractic care isn’t enough. In such cases, he will refer you to the appropriate medical professional to set you on the right track toward recovery.
Nonsurgical Care vs. When You Need a Medical Specialist
Mechanical hip problems often respond well to conservative, nonsurgical care, including chiropractic adjustments and lifestyle changes. That said, other cases may require more, such as joint injections or surgery, to provide lasting relief.
The table below outlines the factors that typically determine whether nonsurgical treatments or a more aggressive approach is appropriate for your condition.
| Condition | Common Symptoms | Appropriate provider | Urgency |
| Muscle Strain | Dull ache that worsens with activity and eases with rest | Chiropractor | Routine |
| Joint Dysfunction | Stiffness, reduced mobility, discomfort | Chiropractor | Routine |
| Sciatica | Pain, numbness, and tingling from your lower back to your leg | Chiropractor or primary care physician | Routine to urgent |
| Arthritis | Gradual stiffness, ache around your groin or thigh that worsens in the morning | Chiropractor, Orthopedic doctor or primary care physician | Routine |
| Hip Fracture | Severe pain, inability to bear weight, leg deformity | Orthopedic or ER doctor | Emergency |
| Infection | Fever, warmth, redness, severe pain | ER doctor | Emergency |
| Avascular Necrosis | Deep pain around the ground area that gets worse over time and persists during rest | Orthopedic doctor | Urgent |
| Suspected Tumor | Unexplained pain, weight loss, and constant pain | Physician or oncologist | Urgent |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Avascular necrosis refers to the death of bone tissue due to reduced blood supply, which often affects the hip. It can cause deep pain around your groin or thigh area that worsens over time and may even hurt at rest.
Muscle-related hip pain typically feels sore or tight, usually following activity, and eases with rest. Meanwhile, joint pain tends to be deeper around the groin area and often comes with joint stiffness. Both conditions may overlap, which is why a thorough physical evaluation is crucial to your diagnosis and, in turn, treatment.
In most cases, yes. Many causes of hip pain respond well to noninvasive and drug-free care, such as chiropractic adjustments and lifestyle changes. Surgery and medication are preferable for cases that don’t improve with conservative approaches.
You should see a chiropractor for mild hip pain and joint dysfunction. On the other hand, choose an orthopedic doctor if you show red flags such as a suspected fracture, fever, or signs of a serious disease.
Your first chiropractic evaluation at Driver Chiropractic begins with a thorough physical examination and review that assesses how your movement, joints, hips, and spine function together. These findings will tell us whether chiropractic care is appropriate or if you need a referral to a specialist.
Finding the Right Care for Hip Pain in Columbus, NE
Hip pain ranges from minor strains to more serious diseases, and the right type of care depends on what’s causing it. So, watch out for the red flags outlined above, assess yourself for initial signs of trouble, and don’t let persistent or worsening pain go unchecked.
Driver Chiropractic offers nonsurgical hip pain treatment in Columbus, NE, which aims to pinpoint the root cause of your condition and address it promptly before it worsens. However, if Dr. Dylan Driver finds something more serious, he’ll refer you to trusted medical specialists to help begin your recovery.
Columbus, NE 68601