Definition of Hip pain:

Considerations:

Hip-related pain is not always felt directly over the hip. Instead, you may feel it in the middle of your thigh or in your groin. Similarly, pain you feel in the hip may actually reflect a problem in your back, rather than your hip itself.

See: Low back pain

Common Causes:

Hip fractures are a major and serious cause of sudden hip pain. Hip fractures become more common as people age because falls are more likely and bones become thinner. People with osteoporosis can get a fracture from simple, everyday activities, not just from a big fall or injury.

A hip fracture can change your quality of life significantly. Fewer than 50% of people with a hip fracture return to their former level of activity. While you recover from a hip fracture, several possible complications can be life-threatening. These include pneumonia and a blood clot in the leg, which can break loose and travel to cause a clot in the lungs. Both are due to lack of movement after a hip fracture and hip surgery.

Other possible causes of hip pain include:

• Arthritis -- often felt in the front part of your thigh or in your groin
• Bursitis -- it hurts when you get up from a chair, walk, climb stairs, and drive
• Infection
• Low-back pain such as sciatica
• Osteonecrosis of the hip
• Strain or sprain
• Tendinitis from repetitive or strenuous activity