The most prominent symptom of hip arthritis is pain. Most patients think that their hip is in the region of the buttocks and are surprised to learn that true hip pain is most commonly experienced in the groin. The pain can radiate down the front of the thigh for a few inches as well. Occasionally it goes all the way down the thigh to the knee (“referred pain”). This is because the hip and knee have an overlapping nerve supply. In fact, in some patients with hip disease, knee pain may be the only symptom! Back pain is even more frequently confused with hip pain. Pain in the buttocks, across the low back and down the back of the thigh usually comes from the spine. It usually indicates a pinched nerve in the lower spine. Patients with a pinched nerve will also often have numbness or tingling in the leg. To complicate matters, some patients with an arthritic hip may also have a pinched nerve from a back disorder. It is important in such cases to determine which problem is causing most of the pain: the hip or the back. If your problem is mainly in your back, you may still be left with most of your pain after going through a hip replacement, and you will not be very happy with the result! If most of your pain is from the hip, a hip replacement may have the added benefit of improving your back condition as well, since the stiffness of an arthritic hip can aggravate a back problem. Most patients with significant hip disease have a limp and one leg may feel shorter than the other (see true and false leg lengths). Bone-on-bone contact occasionally causes the patient to feel or hear the hip creaking during walking. As the disease progresses, the hip becomes stiff and less movement is possible. This may make it difficult for you to clip your toe nails or to tie your shoe laces, and may also limit your ability to spread your legs. Quite often the first step or two after prolonged sitting may be especially painful. Eventually you may have to “take a break” to ease the pain after walking only short distances. The distance you can walk will gradually decrease until you can only take one or two steps at a time. The three common causes of pain around the hip are arthritis, bursitis, or a pinched nerve in the lower back (the commonest cause). The groin pain of hip arthritis is sometimes misdiagnosed at first as a hernia.
Hip pain isn't frustrating....it plain stinks. For years I had to put up with it getting worse and worse until in 2005 I decided that it was time to upgrade the old chassis with some new parts. I had my right hip replaced in sept of 2005 and the left in jan 2006 and never looked back. It took away all of the pain. I didn't get back the range of motion that I had hoped, but it is much better to be pain free than to be able to do a full split right?
Thanks for the nudge Bob. I very much want to get new bionic parts, but just can't right now because of other life circumstances. Hopefully next year it will work out.
Cat, I hope as you continue to heal you will have less pain. I have heard that some of the pain experienced during rehab comes from muscles you begin using that have shortened over years of misuse, from limping, etc. I hope as you "loosen up" with time you will feel better!
Groin pain was my first giveaway that I had hip trouble. After I have been on my feet for a while it goes all the way down through my hip , thigh, knee, and ankle. I can't get socks on or bend down far enough to get my pants on or off sometimes. Most of my hip pain is due to OA according to the xrays and MRI. I have to make an appointment to see my hip surgeon sometime in the new year. I've already had 3 surgeries in the last 12 months, that;s enough for now.I have all of these symptoms and they are worsening. I have not gone in to get my hip xrayed. but I spose I better. One problem at a time for me.