What Causes Hip Pain? How Does Hip Pain Go Away?

‘’Hip pain can cause bigger problems if left untreated’’

Studies conducted in countries such as the USA and the UK show that an average of 1.5-2 million people per year, young and adult populations between the ages of 18-60 are admitted to hospital due to hip pain that affects the quality of life. Reminding that people have recently tried to do sports on their own, especially with the pandemic, Orthopedics and Traumatology specialist Assoc. Dr. Budak Akman pointed out that unconscious sports can lead to hip pain and some problems in the hip area.
Hip pain, which is one of the common orthopedic problems, is an important problem affecting the quality of life of young and adult population between the ages of 18-60. Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Budak Akman, who said that the rate of people who apply to the hospital due to annual hip pain in Europe is around 1-2 percent according to the population of the country, said, "Considering 80 million people in Turkey, it is possible to say that it affects about 800 thousand people."
Stating that this problem, which can occur for different reasons depending on age, causes an increase especially due to the pandemic and unconscious sports afterwards, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akman gave information about the problems and treatment of pain in the hip area.

"Pain can be caused by different reasons"

Stating that it can be difficult to find the causes of hip and hip circumference pain in both young and old people, Orthopedics and Traumatology specialist Assoc. Dr. Budak Akman stated that a good and comprehensive specialist examination is essential.
Assoc. Dr. Akman gave the following information on the subject: "These pains can be caused by the hip joint, bones, muscles and tendons around the hip.There may also be reflected pain. A pain that does not directly involve the hip joint but is reflected from the lumbar region can also hit the hip.In addition, urinary tract and gynecological problems in women can also cause pain around the hip. Therefore, in order to evaluate the pain, it is necessary to first look at whether it is traumatic or independent of trauma."

Stating that hip pain in young people, children and the elderly may differ, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akman added the following: "In many studies conducted in the young population, hip impingement disease, which we call femoraacetabular impingement, and muscle-tendon strains are observed in the first place in patients presenting with hip pain. In people over 60 years of age, when we look at the causes of hip pain, unlike young people, osteoarthritis, i.e. calcification, ranks first. Of course, muscle-tendon pains and reflected pains can also be seen.Arthrosis is an important problem that ranks fourth among disabling diseases worldwide.It is reported that 240 million people in the world and 32 million people in the United States suffer from it annually."

‘’If the pain increases with movement, the problem may be of orthopedic origin’’

Stating that hip pain in the anterior region of the hip, which increases with movement, is an indication that the problem is caused by orthopedic causes, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akman said, "However, if the problem progresses in orthopedic problems, pain may continue at rest."
"Pain in the back of the hip is mostly caused by the waist"
Stating that problems arising from the hip joint may cause pain in the front part of the hip, Orthopedic Specialist Assoc. Dr. Budak Akman said, "In this case, we do not expect pain on the side and back of the hip. When the patient comes, he can also call the back of the hip as the hip area.However, the pain in the back of the hip is mostly caused by the waist.

The complaint we expect from a hip patient is actually this; there is something called the C sign. The patient makes a C-shape with his/her hand and shows a place towards the front and side. If the patient feels the pain in an area within the C sign, it is most likely originating from the hip. If it is more in the lateral posterior or completely posterior region, we actually move away from hip pathology. We need to think about different diseases. Because of the reflected pain, low back problems, herniated discs, rheumatism-related pathologies can cause pain around the hip."

"Although it is very rare, it may also be a symptom of some malignant diseases"

Pointing out that pain in the hip and around the hip may also be a symptom of some malignant diseases, although it is very rare, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akman said, "Physical examination is therefore very valuable in the diagnosis of the disease. After the first evaluation, we approach the diagnosis to a great extent. However, we definitely want additional diagnostic methods for a definitive diagnosis. Especially in young people, MRI is absolutely necessary together with X-rays."
"Today, we use hip arthoscopy very frequently"

Speaking about the treatment processes of the disease, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akman gave the following information: "If we encounter hip impingement disease, cartilage problems and labrum tears in young people, we get successful results with surgical treatments. Here, we use hip arthroscopy, which is an open minimally invasive method, very frequently today. It has now become the gold standard in the world. Hip arthroscopy can be performed at any age, but of course it is not very useful when the hip joint disorder progresses and osteoarthritis develops. I can say that it is a method we use mostly in young patients and in the first stage of these events. Young people and athletes can return to sports after hip injuries - labrum tears and hip impingement surgeries. After a certain recovery period, they can continue their activities from where they left off. "

"We can improve their quality of life with treatments"

If left untreated, it will be inevitable for patients to encounter hip calcification after a while," said Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Budak Akman and made the following suggestions:

"First of all, sports should not be done unconsciously with the movements seen on social media. However, if there is pain with sports or when they increase the speed of the movements, they should not think 'let me go to sports again, my pain will go away'. Because in this case, the pain may become chronic and become more complex when it can be relieved with a simple treatment. Therefore, it is useful to consult an orthopedic specialist immediately if there is a sports-related injury, strain, especially if there is a finding such as swelling and bruising in that area. Our elderly patients with hip arthritis do not have to continue with their hip pain. We can improve their quality of life with today's treatment methods. They should not forget that they can reduce their pain and continue their lives comfortably."