Hip and lower back pain could occur due to several causes related to hip ailments. Such hip and lower back pain could result in severe immobility or total disability, if neglected or subjected to improper treatments. Hence, it would be advisable to understand the various types of hip problems before going into the causes and treatment of hip and lower back pain.
One of the most common reasons for hip and lower back pain is arthritis. Arthritis could be cured by conservative treatments in most of the cases, but surgical methods like hip replacement surgery might be needed in certain specific cases. Inflammation of the bursa on the outside of the hip joint is termed as trochanteric bursitis. This is also one of the common hip problems that is again mostly amenable to conventional treatment methods.
Ailment in one or more of the tendons surrounding the hip joint is tendonitis, with the major one being iliotibial band (IT band) tendonitis. When the blood flow to the hip gets reduced, the cells begin dying and the bone reaches a collapsing stage. This condition is called osteonecrosis. Disc herniation and sciatica are some other reasons for hip and lower back pain.
The IT band could snap on the outside of the thigh. The hip flexor could snap at the front of the hip joint. Tears of the cartilage or labrum around the hip socket could occur. These three conditions are known as snapping hip syndrome. Further hip and lower back pain causes are groin pull and hamstring strain around the hip and the pelvis, as well as hip fractures termed osteoporosis that occurs in aged persons.
Here are a few symptoms of hip and lower back pain that are caused by one more of the abovementioned disorders. Walking discomfort on the affected side, injury leading to deformity around the hip joint, hip pain while resting and persisting hip pain, and swelling of the hip or thigh, are some of the symptoms of hip and lower back pain, to name a few. Inability to bend the hip, and symptoms of infection of the hip, with or without fever, are other possible symptoms.
Symptoms of hip flexor injury and lower back pain are noticed when the iliopsoas tendon connecting the hip and the thigh and/or the iliopsoas bursa, a small sac of fluid, become inflamed and irritated. Such hip flexor strain, called iliopsoas syndrome in medical terms, could result in severe pain in the hip, lower back and thigh region. Hip stiffness, as well as a clicking or snapping sound might be seen in certain cases. The iliopsoas syndrome is usually corrected by non-surgical methods like medication and exercises to impart more strength to the hip muscles and to bring back the original flexibility. This process could take 6 to 8 weeks. Such rehabilitation process has to be done under the guidance of the physician and the physiatrist.
Burning lower back and hip pain is seen in cases of trochanteric bursitis, tendonitis, and osteonecrosis. In the majority of cases, medication and exercises would restore normalcy. Extreme pain in the lower back and left hip would occur in iliopsoas syndrome and snapping hip syndrome. Arthritis results in chronic and/or severe lower back, hip and leg pain. Administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and physiotherapy would normally redress these ailments. However, in specific severe cases, hip replacement surgery might be needed.
One of the most common reasons for hip and lower back pain is arthritis