3 Reasons for hip pain in the active adult

When people think of hip pain, they often think of the elderly. As we age, the cushions and fluid in our joints starts to deteriorate and bone grinds against bone. Because the hip is a major joint in the body, this is why so many seniors complain about pain.

But hip pain isn’t just about getting older; active adults experience hip pain, too, and there are several common reasons why.

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First, hip pain in an active adult is often the result of injury, trauma, or congenital defects in the hip joint itself. Active adults, whether just through regular fitness or through playing sports, rely on their hip joints for most leg movements. With constant use, it’s no surprise that an occasional injury will appear in this area of the body.

Three common causes of hip pain in an active adult

• Tendonitis: Any area of the body where tendons exist can develop tendonitis with repetitive movement. Runners or athletes in sports focusing on kicking (soccer, martial arts) often develop pain across the front of the hip with tenderness at the front of the pelvic bone point. This is a result of inflammation of the iliopsoas tendon (hip flexor tendon), which drapes over the front of the hip socket and can become inflamed from injury or overuse. According to materials from UC San Diego Health System, this is particularly common in individuals who have prominent hip joints and may present with a “clicking” sound in the hip as the inflamed tendon catches on the bone.
  

  Hips can become painful from tendonitis, bursitis, and stress fractures, among other things. (Shutterstock)

• Bursitis: A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between the body’s connective tissues. Just like with tendonitis, overuse, injury and repetitive movement can cause these sacs to become inflamed. Hip bursitis most commonly presents as pain on the outside point of the hip, at the site of the greater trochanter where a bursa sac exists. This condition is known as greater trochanteric bursitis and commonly occurs when the muscles in the hip are not conditioned enough to handle the workload demanded of them.
• Stress fracture: Little known to the average active adult is a femoral head stress fracture, a hairline break in the head of the femur bone from chronic stress. While it may not seem like everyday workouts can cause a bone like the femur to fracture, wear and tear from exercise builds up overtime and can weaken bones. Materials from Scott & White Healthcare indicate femoral neck stress fractures present as a deep pain in the groin area around the front of the hip with occasional tenderness to the touch. Pain may also be felt in the knee or the thigh and worsens with standing and exercise. If not diagnosed in the early stages, continued use of the leg despite pain can result in a complete break of the bone.

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Most hip pain in otherwise healthy, active adults can be treated with rest and anti inflammatory medications; however, there are a number of personal accounts that suggest femoral head stress fractures and minor injuries like tendonitis can be almost identical in level of discomfort. If you are experiencing hip pain you should visit your doctor for diagnostic imaging to determine if bone or soft tissue is involved.