Overview
Understanding hip pain
"Hip pain" is a location, not a diagnosis. Pain around the hip arises from the joint itself, the gluteal tendons and bursa on the outside, the hip flexors in front, the SI joint and lumbar spine from behind — and each source has a different fix.
The pattern is the map: groin pain points to the joint; outer-hip pain lying on your side points to gluteal tendons or bursa; pain running down the back of the leg points toward the spine. A systematic evaluation reads that map before anyone proposes a treatment.
Symptoms
What it feels like
- Groin ache with walking (joint pattern)
- Outer hip pain, worse lying on that side (tendon/bursa pattern)
- Buttock pain radiating down the leg (spine pattern)
- Front-of-hip pain with kicking or sprinting (hip flexor pattern)
- Night pain, catching, or stiffness
Common causes
Why it happens
- Osteoarthritis and early cartilage disease
- Gluteal tendinopathy and trochanteric bursitis
- Labral tears and impingement
- Hip flexor and hamstring tendon problems
- Referred pain from the lumbar spine or SI joint
Diagnosis
How it's diagnosed
History and a hands-on exam sort the pattern first; imaging then confirms rather than fishes. X-rays screen the joint, ultrasound or MRI evaluates tendons and labrum, and a targeted diagnostic injection settles ambiguous cases by numbing one suspect at a time.
Treatment
The full range of options
Non-surgical
Source-specific rehabilitation
Gluteal tendinopathy, joint arthritis, and flexor strain each have distinct programs — treatment starts working when it matches the actual source.
Targeted injections
Image-guided injections treat and confirm simultaneously — into the joint, the bursa, or around a tendon as the exam dictates.
Surgical
Directed procedures when indicated
When a surgical problem is confirmed — advanced arthritis, a symptomatic labral tear with impingement, a torn gluteal tendon — the specific procedure targets that diagnosis. Surgery for unexplained hip pain is not a thing Dr. Johnson does.
Recovery
The road back
Recovery follows the diagnosis: tendon programs run six to twelve weeks; arthroscopic and replacement recoveries follow their own pathways. The common thread is that a precise diagnosis up front prevents months spent treating the wrong structure.
Dr. Johnson's approach
Dr. Johnson's rule for hip pain: name the structure before treating it. The evaluation is built to separate joint, tendon, and spine — because the most expensive mistake in hip care is a correct treatment aimed at the wrong source.
Straight answers
Frequently Asked Questions
The information on this site is for education only and is not a medical diagnosis or a substitute for professional medical advice. Every patient is different — please consult Dr. Johnson or a qualified provider about your specific condition.
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