Hip pain can occur in younger people after injury and in older adults from arthritis. It comes from several places — the joint itself, the tendons and bursa on the outside, the muscles at the back, or a nerve. Each is treated differently, and only advanced joint wear needs replacement. Dr. Kiruthika distinguishes them by examination and ultrasound and treats each precisely.
Age, obesity, trauma, alcohol excess, hip deformities and the long-term use of certain medicines are the usual risk factors. The joint wears with age and load; its cartilage rim (labrum) can tear; the gluteal tendons and bursa on the outer hip become painful with overuse; and the muscles at the back of the hip can irritate nearby nerves. Groin pain usually means the joint; outer hip pain usually means tendon or bursa.
History and physical examination first — including the back, which often refers pain to the hip — then imaging: X-ray for arthritis, MRI for labral tears and early avascular necrosis, ultrasound for tendons, bursa and to guide any injection.
Conditions treated
Wear of the joint cartilage; groin pain, stiffness and reduced rotation. Ultrasound-guided injection — hyaluronic acid or PRP — in early to moderate stages, with bone marrow concentrate (BMAC) considered in selected patients. Replacement is the right answer only when bone-on-bone change limits walking and sleep.
Loss of blood supply to the femoral head, often linked to alcohol excess, trauma or the long-term use of certain medicines. In early stages, PRP and bone marrow (BMAC) therapies can help, alongside protected weight-bearing; established collapse needs orthopaedic surgery. Early diagnosis matters most.
A tear of the cartilage rim of the socket; deep groin pain with clicking or catching. An ultrasound-guided joint injection is both diagnostic and therapeutic; PRP in selected cases. Arthroscopic repair is discussed when mechanical symptoms persist in a young, active patient.
Pain on the outer hip, worse lying on that side and climbing stairs, from the bursa and gluteal tendons over the greater trochanter. Ultrasound-guided PRP injection with a strengthening programme for the gluteal muscles.
Pain along the outer thigh where the iliotibial band rubs, common in runners and cyclists. Load modification, stretching and hip strengthening; an ultrasound-guided injection when pain persists.
The piriformis muscle in the buttock irritates the sciatic nerve — buttock pain radiating down the leg, worse on sitting. Ultrasound-guided injection into the muscle, with stretching.
Pain in the sitting area from irritation of the pudendal nerve, typically worse on sitting and eased by standing. An image-guided injection around the nerve is both the test and the treatment, alongside posture and physiotherapy measures.
Fifteen to thirty minutes under ultrasound guidance. Hip joint injections are done under continuous ultrasound view and local anaesthesia; most patients walk out and drive.
Not always — regenerative medicine can help in early to moderate stages.
Yes — PRP and bone marrow therapies can help in early AVN.
Often. Buttock and outer thigh pain frequently comes from the lumbar spine. Examination separates them.
Pressure on the gluteal tendons and bursa over the bony point of the hip — usually bursitis or tendinopathy, not the joint.