People of all ages may suffer from hip pain and to get a proper diagnosis, the best clues are the type of pain and where it is located. Rest, anti-inflammatory medication may help you feel better but severe injuries need surgical repair to repair torn tendons or the acetabular labrum. And if the damage is severe, hip replacement surgery may be recommended.

Here, a hip preservation specialist at FirstCure Health looks at common causes of hip pain —

Core muscle injuries — (like sports hernia or athletic pubalgia)

if you have pain in your groin area, it might be a core muscle injury, due to a tear or strain of muscles or other lower abdomen soft tissues. These injuries are common in those playing sports infrequently, involving a lot of turning and twisting.
Treatment: Rest the affected muscles for several weeks and if this does not reduce the pain; surgery may be needed.

Bursitis

—if the pain is outside of your hip, thigh and/or buttocks then the pain is due to inflammation of the pillow-like fluid sacs (Bursae) which provide cushioning for joints by keeping the tendons and muscles from rubbing directly against bone, causing immense pain, mostly seen in people over 60 years of age.
Treatment: Rest at home or take anti-inflammatory or pain medications or place ice compresses on the area. Your doctor may give you a cortisone injection to reduce inflammation.

Tendonitis —

if your hip flexor (the group of muscles that lets you bring your knee and leg toward your body) or groin are tender on touch or movement you have tendonitis. Straining or over-using tendons — the cords that attach the muscle to the bone — causes minor injuries which causes muscular imbalances in the hip.
Treatment: Treatment options are similar to bursitis.

Labral tears —

The labrum is the ring of cartilage which surrounds the hip socket and ensures the ball of the thighbone stays in place. On getting torn, it causes pain in the hip or groin and creates a sensation that the hip is locking, catching or clicking.
Treatment: A type of minimally invasive surgery is used to repair the labrum and shave the misshaped bone. This procedure corrects the hip's alignment, pain and protects the joint.

Osteoarthritis —

causes pain and swelling, joints becoming stiff, breakdown of cartilage, causing deformity. Recent studies show that osteoarthritis happens when the hip bones are not perfectly formed, causing them to rub against each other.
Treatment: Along with rest, ice, steroids and OTC pain and anti-inflammatory medications, more aggressive treatments include stem cell therapy and surgery, from hip resurfacing to total hip replacement. .

Gynecological or pelvic floor issues -

If the pain is limited to the groin and coincides with ovulation or period, the cause could be endometriosis or fibroids rather than a problem with the hip. Urological and gastrointestinal issues, such as gastroenteritis and prostate cancer, can be the reason for the pain. Treatment: Visit FirstCure Health for a complete checkup by a Gynecologist or a Gastroenterologist. To help prevent hip pain, FirstCure Health suggests that you must control your weight, do stretches or yoga regularly to strengthen your core; along with getting annual check-ups. .