Hip pain while walking or running is a common concern that can impact daily life and athletic pursuits. This discomfort stems from various underlying issues. Understanding the potential causes and how activity influences these conditions is important for effective management.
Specific Conditions Causing Hip Pain
Several medical conditions can cause hip pain, especially when aggravated by movement. One common culprit is bursitis, an inflammation of the bursae, small fluid-filled sacs that cushion bones, tendons, and muscles around the hip joint. Trochanteric bursitis causes pain on the outer side of the hip, which can worsen with activity or lying on the affected side.
Tendinitis involves the inflammation of tendons, fibrous cords connecting muscles to bones. Iliotibial band (IT band) syndrome is a common form of tendinitis in runners, causing pain along the outer hip, thigh, and sometimes down to the knee due to irritation and inflammation of the IT band, a thick connective tissue running along the outer thigh. Hip flexor tendinitis, another type, results from inflammation of tendons connecting hip flexor muscles to the thigh bone, leading to pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, involves the breakdown of cartilage cushioning the hip joint. This condition commonly affects older individuals, causing pain and stiffness within the ball-and-socket joint, worsening with activity. Muscle strains, such as groin or hamstring strains, occur when muscle fibers are overstretched or torn, leading to sharp pain that makes moving or lifting the leg difficult.
Stress fractures, tiny cracks in bones, can develop in the hip due to repetitive impact. These often present as an ache in the hip, groin, or front of the thigh that intensifies with walking or running, and may cause pain at rest in severe cases. A labral tear, an injury to the cartilage rim (labrum) around the hip socket, can cause pain in the hip or groin, a clicking or locking sensation, and reduced range of motion, often worsened by walking or running. Hip impingement, or femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), occurs when hip joint bones abnormally rub together, contributing to labral tears and pain.
How Activity Influences Hip Pain
Walking and running can contribute to or exacerbate hip pain, even with an underlying condition. Overuse or overtraining frequently causes hip pain, especially if activity intensity or mileage increases too quickly without adequate rest. This can overwhelm the body’s ability to recover, leading to conditions like tendinitis or bursitis.
Poor biomechanics or form during walking or running can place undue stress on the hip joint. Inefficient gait patterns, such as overstriding or pelvic instability, can lead to excessive pressure on hip structures. Improper footwear lacking adequate support or cushioning can alter lower limb alignment, increasing strain on the hips.
Running on hard or uneven surfaces contributes to increased impact forces on the hip joints. A lack of proper warm-up before activity or insufficient cool-down afterward can leave muscles unprepared for exertion or hinder recovery, making them more susceptible to injury. Muscle imbalances, such as weakness or tightness in certain hip or core muscles, can compromise hip stability and contribute to pain.
When to Seek Professional Medical Advice
Understanding when hip pain warrants professional medical attention is important for preventing further complications. Seek medical advice if the pain is severe, sudden, or accompanied by other concerning symptoms. These include fever, chills, redness, or swelling around the hip, which could indicate an infection.
An inability to bear weight on the affected leg or a noticeable deformity of the hip or leg signals a need for immediate medical evaluation. Pain that does not improve with rest, worsens over time, or significantly interferes with daily activities like walking or sleeping should prompt a visit to a healthcare provider. Numbness or tingling extending down the leg or foot with hip pain also warrants prompt professional assessment.
Initial Steps for Relief and Prevention
For immediate relief and to help prevent hip pain from recurring, several initial steps can be taken at home. Rest is often the first recommendation, involving reducing or modifying activities that aggravate the pain. This allows the hip joint and surrounding tissues to recover and reduce inflammation.
Applying ice or heat can help manage pain and inflammation. For acute or sudden pain, applying an ice pack wrapped in a towel for 10-20 minutes several times a day can reduce swelling and numb the area. After the initial 48 hours or for chronic stiffness, alternating with heat can increase blood flow and relax tense muscles.
Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen, or acetaminophen, can provide temporary pain relief and reduce inflammation. Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises can be beneficial, but it is important to proceed cautiously and stop if pain worsens. These might include hip flexor stretches, glute bridges, or leg raises, which improve flexibility and muscle support around the hip.
Ensuring proper footwear that provides adequate support and cushioning can reduce stress on the hip joints during activities. When returning to activity, a gradual increase in intensity or duration is important to prevent re-injury. Listening to your body and avoiding pushing through pain is an important preventative measure.