The hip joint attaches the leg to the torso of the body. In the hip joint, the head of the thigh bone (femur) swivels in a socket, called the acetabulum. While many causes of hip pain can arise from the joint itself, there are many structures surrounding the hip that can also be the source of pain.

Trauma is often the cause of hip pain, but any source of inflammation, overuse and arthritis may cause pain in the hip area. Pain is one of the symptoms of inflammation, along with swelling, warmth, and redness; together these are signals that a problem may exist.

Due to the complex nature of the hip joint and surrounding muscles and ligaments, there are many conditions that can cause hip pain. Common causes of hip pain include:

• Arthritis
• Trochanteric bursitis
• Tendonitis
• Muscular strains such as the muscles in the groin, buttocks and hamstrings
• Low back pain often refers symptoms to the hip, groin and buttocks

If you are unsure of the cause of your symptoms, you should seek medical attention. Treatment of hip pain must be directed at the specific cause of your problem. Some signs that you should be seen to include:

• Inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
• Injury that causes deformity around the joint
• Hip pain that occurs at night or while resting
• Hip pain that persists beyond a few days
• Inability to bend the hip
• Swelling of the hip or the thigh area
• Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, warmth
• Any other unusual symptoms

Chiropractors are required by the General Chiropractic Council, the regulating body for chiropractic in the UK, to take a thorough history and carry out a physical examination of every patient, in order to form an appropriate diagnosis and to determine if the patient would benefit from chiropractic care. If the chiropractor identifies a patient who cannot be helped by chiropractic care, normal practice would be to refer the patient to the most appropriate healthcare practitioner for further consultation.

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