Your hips allow you to bend, sit, and walk. That means you need your hip joints to fully function, without pain or limitation. However, hip pain is common among adults in the United States.
Often, hip pain forms a challenging part of the aging process. Your hip pain may also be related to a sports injury, muscle strain, or even underlying cancer.
At the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, our providers know all about hip pain, due to both common and uncommon causes. Dr. Michael Blackwell directs care for new and existing patients with chronic hip pain from our Tomball, Kingwood, and The Woodlands, Texas, locations.
Why do you experience chronic hip pain? Here are some of the lesser-known reasons why.
Your hip pain might not come from common issues like arthritis, osteoporosis, or sciatica. These less common causes of hip pain need to be diagnosed and treated by knowledgeable experts.
There are several potential connections between chronic hip pain and cancer. You might experience hip pain due to leukemia or bone cancer. This type of pain can also be a sign of cancer becoming advanced or metastasizing, meaning it has spread from elsewhere in your body.
You may suffer from chronic hip pain if there’s a labral tear affecting the tissue around your hip joint. Your labrum holds the ball and socket of your hip joint together. Labral tears may happen as you age or as a sports injury.
After a labral tear, you experience pain, reduced range of motion, and a sensation of your hip joint locking up. Without the right treatment, your risk of osteoarthritis goes up, even if your hip labrum eventually heals on its own.
Without consistent blood flow, your bones deteriorate and start to die. Your chronic hip pain may stem from avascular necrosis or osteonecrosis related to interrupted blood flow.
Chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia may result in lingering aches and pains in your hips, so they need sensitive, well-considered treatment.
Learning more about the cause of your hip pain is essential to getting the care you need. Dr. Blackwell and the team can diagnose your condition and recommend treatment options to relieve your pain and restore your hips’ free range of motion.
Dr. Blackwell reviews your symptoms and medical history, in addition to conducting a thorough physical exam to discover the cause of your chronic hip pain. He may also order diagnostic imaging tests like X-rays.
Once Dr. Blackwell makes his diagnosis, he may recommend physical therapy or pain injections. In some cases, you may need surgery, including hip replacement surgery, to address your hip pain and give you back your comfort and mobility.
For diagnosis and support of chronic hip pain, contact Dr. Blackwell at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine today. To schedule your initial consultation, book online or over the phone now.
