Hip Pain: Causes, Symptoms & Pain Relief
Hip pain is common, especially as you age, but there are ways to relieve the pain. Keep reading for more information about the causes of hip pain, its symptoms and hip muscle pain relief options, such as Naprosyn® Pain Relief.
Always consult a healthcare professional if you are worried about pain you are experiencing.
What causes hip pain?
Pain in the hip is generally due to problems with your hip joint. While hip pain often is a result of aging, younger people may experience it too. Causes of hip pain in adults include:
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If you experience pain, bruising or swelling around your hip area after repetitive or intense exercise, this could be a sprain or strain. These are common soft tissue injuries and generally ease after a couple of weeks.
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The most common cause of hip pain, osteoarthritis develops when your body can’t keep up with repairing general wear and tear to your joints. If you’re over 45 and the pain in your hip worsens during movement or you feel stiffness after movement, this could be a sign of osteoarthritis.
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This is a common cause of hip pain, where the pain is felt on the outside of the top of your thigh. It tends to be caused by inflammation or injury to the tissues at the top of the thigh and can affect people who’ve had hip surgery, runners or footballers.
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If the pain and stiffness in your hip is worse after not moving, this could be rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks your joints by mistake, making them stiff and painful.
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If your hip is hot or swollen and you have a high temperature or feel hot and shivery, this may be septic arthritis. This is a rare but serious joint infection and you should get an urgent GP appointment if you’re showing symptoms.
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Severe pain in the hip and being unable to walk after an injury could mean you have a broken hip. This is serious and you will need immediate treatment in hospital.
What are the symptoms of hip pain?
Symptoms of hip pain and problems with your hip include:
- Pain (usually in the groin if the hip joint itself is affected), especially when moving or bearing weight
- Stiffness
- Leg giving way
- Loss of muscle bulk of the thigh
- Difficulty walking.
How to relieve hip pain
There are a few things you can do to help combat hip pain, though you should seek medical advice if you’re not sure if the treatments mentioned here are right for you, or if it is very painful or the pain doesn’t improve. It can be helpful to:
- increase physical activity, though don’t put too much strain on your hip
- lose weight to reduce load on the joint
- wear shock-absorbing shoes with a soft sole
- avoid heavy lifting
- avoid sitting in low chairs.
Other hip muscle strain treatment options include:
Over-the-counter medication
Pain relief medication can help you move more comfortably, aiding your recovery. To help tackle your pain, you can take over-the-counter medication like paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen and naproxen.
Containing naproxen as its main active ingredient, Naprosyn® Pain Relief tablets are used for short term musculoskeletal conditions such as hip pain. Available to buy without a prescription, Naprosyn® Pain Relief offers up to 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief.
Treatment with ice and heat
If your hip pain is due to an injury, it can be helpful to treat it with ice. If it’s not due to an injury and there’s no swelling, heat can be beneficial. You should always use a barrier to protect your skin and apply heat or ice for up to 15 minutes.
Exercises and stretches
Doing exercises and stretches can help to ease hip pain, though it’s important to pay attention to your pain levels. You may experience short term muscle pain but it should ease quickly. If your symptoms worsen, you should stop doing the exercise and seek further medical advice.
Exercises to ease hip pain include:
- Bridging
This can help with sacroiliac joint (SI) pain relief. Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms resting at your sides. Using your arms for support, gently lift your hips upward, pause for a few seconds, then slowly lower them back down. - Sit to stand
Stand in front of a chair and slowly bend your knees until your bottom just touches the chair behind you, then return to a standing position. - Sideways hip lift
Stand, with a hand on a wall or chair for support if you need it, then lift your leg, keeping it straight as you do so. Hold for a few seconds, bring your leg down, then repeat with the other leg.
Explore Naprosyn® Pain Relief
Naprosyn® Pain Relief provides powerful, effective pain relief for short term hip pain. No need for a prescription, this pain relief medication is available to buy at a number of pharmacies across the UK.
