Ways Hip Pain Can Surface Elsewhere In Your Body
Pain in the hips can be a little unnerving, and this hip pain can definitely interfere with your daily activities. Most commonly, if you do have a problem with your hip joint, you will feel pain in or around your hip which will signal you to get in for an evaluation with your doctor. But, a number of people delay seeking a doctor’s advice because they feel pain in other places in the body and don’t really know what is going on.
Sometimes, pain that starts out in the hip can even seem to move to a totally different part of the body. In truth, problems with your hips can lead to pain in all kinds of other parts of the body. Here is a look at some of the ways hip pain can surface elsewhere in your body.
You Could Experience Pain in Your Back
When you really get into the specifics of how the musculoskeletal system works as the human body moves, it is pretty incredible to see just how much everything works in harmony. The body is designed to accommodate your movements when another area of the body is not doing its part. In the case of the hips and the back, the two flex, rotate, and shift in unison as you walk, stoop, bend, or even jump.
If you have issues with mobility in your hip joints, the various parts of the spinal column and muscles in your back will work hard to help you move. For example, if your hip has extreme inflammation due to an injury and does not have enough circular range, you will use the muscles in your lower back more when you move your legs. This added strain can lead to a lot of back pain, but it can also lead to more serious problems like nerve strain.
You May Run Into Knee Pain and Knee Issues
Knee pain as a result of hip pain is a lot more common than most patients know. Most people also do not realize just how closely interconnected the functions of the hips and knees can be. Both of these joints work hard to support your movements, so when one of the other is lacking, one or the other will also try to pick up the slack.
For example, if you have a lot of general weakness in your right hip, your right knee may move and shift in an abnormal way when you move to compensate for the weakness. Over time, this can definitely generate pain, but it can also lead to issues with the knee, such as torn tendons or damage to the joint.
You Could Have Achier Feet
When you are already experiencing pain that radiates from your hip, you will move the rest of your body in a lot of ways to avoid putting stress on your hip. Many people do this almost involuntarily, especially if they have been dealing with pain in their hips for a long time. One part of your body that can pay the price for this action is your feet.
It is not uncommon for people who have struggle with hip pain to suddenly feel like they are having more pain in their feet than usual. Oftentimes, one foot will be hurting more than the other because the individual has been shifting more of their bodyweight to the side of their body where their hip is not causing them pain.
A Look at the Causes of Hip Pain
With your hips being such a big player in the overall musculoskeletal system, problems with these large bodily joints can really bring about a lot of unexpected issues. If you are dealing with hip pain, or a pain that you believe could be related to your hips, there are a number of underlying problems that could be to blame. Some of the most common causes of hip pain include:
- Arthritis, which can stem from osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, or rheumatoid arthritis
- Piriformis syndrome, which is related to one of the largest muscles of the hip and the sciatic nerve
- Stress fractures in the bones in the hip, which can come from repeated stress or a fall
- Trochanteric bursitis, which is an inflammation issue of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the femoral neck of the hip
How Is Hip Pain Treated?
Treatment for hip pain can vary depending on the nature of the problem. Some issues may be perfectly manageable with medications to combat inflammation, while more extreme problems may require a surgical procedure to correct. For example, issues that have stemmed from the deterioration of the hip joint may require a partial or total hip replacement. Luckily, hip replacement surgery is a very common and typically successful procedure with more than 400,000 performed every year. hip replacement is actually touted as “one of the most successful operations in all of medicine,” according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Get a Reliable Diagnosis from a Clearwater Orthopedic Doctor
Hip pain can be such a problematic thing; it can affect how mobile you are, how you are able to move, and even just how comfortable you are in your everyday life. If you have problems with hip pain that are showing up in a lot of unusual ways in your body, it can be best to talk to a doctor who specializes in hip pain. At Full Circle Orthopedics, we specialize in hip pain and hip surgery. If you feel you need attention from an orthopedic surgeon, reach out to us at Full Circle Orthopedics in Clearwater, FL to schedule an appointment.
