Hip Pain: Common Causes and What Helps

Overview

Hip pain is common, and its causes range from a temporary muscle strain to gradual joint changes like osteoarthritis. The location of the pain is one of the most useful clues: groin or deep hip pain often points toward the hip joint itself, while outer-hip pain more often comes from the tendons beside the joint.

Most hip pain is not dangerous and improves with sensible activity adjustment and strengthening. The key questions are what makes it worse, what settles it, and whether it is improving.

What This Symptom Feels Like

Ache in the groin, front of the hip, outer hip or buttock
Stiffness after sitting or first thing in the morning
Pain with walking, stairs, squatting or getting up from a chair
Clicking, catching or a feeling that the hip is not moving smoothly
Pain at night or when lying on the affected side

Common Causes by Location

Groin or deep hip pain

Hip osteoarthritis — gradual cartilage wear, more common with age
Hip labral tear — clicking or catching, often with twisting or deep positions
Femoroacetabular impingement — pinching in deep squatting or rotation
Hip flexor strain — front-of-hip pain with kicking, sprinting or lifting the knee

Outer hip pain

Gluteal tendinopathy — the most common local cause of outer-hip pain
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome — pain over the bony bump, worse lying on that side

Buttock or thigh pain

Referred pain from the lower back — often with the spine, not the hip, as the source
Hip osteoarthritis — groin pain can spread to the thigh, buttock or knee

Anatomy Usually Involved

Hip joint — the ball-and-socket joint, labrum and cartilage
Gluteal muscles — the muscles behind and beside the hip
Lumbar spine — a common source of referred hip-area pain

Questions to Ask Yourself

Where exactly is the pain — groin, outer hip, front or buttock?
Did it start after a specific activity, injury or change in training?
Is it worse with walking, stairs, sitting, lying on that side or at night?
Does it catch, click or feel unstable?
Is it improving, staying the same, or getting worse?
Is there numbness, weakness or pain down the leg?

When It's Usually Minor

Pain that follows a known activity, settles with load adjustment and keeps improving is the typical pattern for strains, tendinopathy and early joint irritation. Movement and progressive strengthening are generally helpful, not harmful.

When To Seek Medical Care

Inability to bear weight or walk normally after an injury
Sudden severe hip pain, a pop, or visible deformity
A hot, red or severely swollen hip — or hip pain with fever
Hip pain after a fall, especially in an older adult
Pain that is not improving after a few weeks of sensible adjustment
Numbness, weakness or loss of control of the leg or foot

Self-Care Options

Keep moving within comfort — complete rest is not recommended
Adjust the activities that provoke pain temporarily rather than stopping everything
Use a cane on the opposite side if walking is painful
Short-term pain relief if appropriate for you
Start gentle gluteal and hip strengthening as pain settles — see hip loading principles
Avoid lying directly on the painful side

Common Questions

Should I rest with hip pain?

Brief reduction of painful activities is useful, but prolonged rest makes hips stiff and weaker. Movement and graded loading are part of recovery for most hip problems.

Does hip pain mean arthritis?

Not necessarily. Arthritis is one common cause, especially after 50, but strains, tendinopathy, labral irritation and referred back pain are also common. Location and behavior of the pain help narrow it down.

When should hip pain worry me?

Seek prompt care for inability to bear weight, sudden severe pain, a hot or swollen hip, fever, or pain after a significant fall. Persistent pain that is not improving after a few weeks also deserves assessment.

Clamshell — side-lying hip strengthening
Hip hinge — hip-driven lifting pattern
Glute bridge — hip extension strength
Hip thrust — targeted glute strengthening
Single-leg deadlift — glute strength and balance
Standing hip abduction — gluteus medius strength

Hip flexor stretch — front-of-hip stretch
Piriformis stretch — deep buttock stretch
Adductor stretch — inner-thigh stretch

References

Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. "Hip Pain and Mobility Deficits—Hip Osteoarthritis: Revision 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline." https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2025.0301
Grimaldi A, Fearon A. "Gluteal Tendinopathy: Integrating Pathomechanics and Clinical Features in Its Management." Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26381486/
AAOS OrthoInfo. "Femoroacetabular Impingement." https://www.orthoinfo.org/diseases--conditions/femoroacetabular-impingement/

This information is for education only and is not a medical diagnosis. InjuryAtlas does not replace an assessment by a qualified health professional. If you have severe pain, visible deformity, numbness, loss of function, or symptoms that are getting worse, seek medical care promptly.