This blog post is attempting to clarify the link between pain around the hip and the potential structures may be at fault; it also gives an outline of the basic steps that are used to create a treatment programme, which can be applied to any part of the body.
The hip is separated into 3 general areas: the posterior, which is the buttock, the lateral, which is the side of the hip and the groin or front of the hip. The location of pain helps to narrow down the specific structure that is at fault. 2 things to remember: the low back can refer pain into all of the above areas and it is very common to have more than one painful tissue.
What follows is a simplified list of musculoskeletal structures that can cause pain within each area:
- Buttock pain – Sacroiliac joint, Piriformis muscle, Gluteal muscles and the hip joint.
- Lateral pain – Gluteal muscles, Greater Trochanter (including Bursa) and hip joint.
- Groin pain – Adductor muscles, Iliopsoas muscle (and bursa), the abdominal muscles and the hip joint.
Identifying the painful tissue is only the first step on the road to recovery. The next stage is to understand why a particular structure has become irritated.
Look out for the next blog, which will look further at the next stage.
Graham Smith, Physiotherapist