Hip Pain

What is Hip Pain?

Your hip joint supports most of your body weight. Wear and tear of the joint, causing the cartilage to break down, can lead to a painful hip. Without the cartilage, there is no protection between the bony surfaces of the ball and socket, which become rough and begin grinding against each other. This causes pain, stiffness, and discomfort.

Common hip injuries and bone diseases include hip arthritis, avascular necrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and other metabolic bone diseases.

UR Medicine's Treatments for Hip Pain

Providing an accurate diagnosis for hip pain can be a complex task. Our hip specialists can pinpoint the problem and recommend options to relieve pain and restore your mobility.

Our providers come from a wide range of specialties, and their team approach allows them to address a wide array of hip problems.

For your diagnosis:

You will have an appointment with a provider who specializes in the hip.
You might have an x-ray with specific views that will help your medical team determine the cause of your pain.
You may have advanced imaging, such as an MRI or CT scan, to evaluate the structure of your hip in more detail.
You may require strategic injections into the hip, guided by ultrasound, to better determine the source of your pain.

All of these tools are specially designed to diagnose the hip.

For treatment, our Hip Preservation Program offers the most advanced treatment options for hip joint injuries, designed to help people avoid hip replacement.

Our specialists use the latest methods to help patients return to their sport or active lifestyle, including:

Nonsurgical treatment options, including: physical, manual and aquatic therapy; injections; active release technique; and anti-inflammatory medications can often provide pain relief.
Hip arthroscopy, a less invasive type of surgery for impingement, labral tears, and soft tissue and articular cartilage problems. This technique can reduce pain after surgery and usually allow the patient to return home the same day as surgery.
Osteotomy, which realigns or reshape bones to improve the position and stability of the hip joint and reduce pain. This can delay or even eliminate the need for a hip replacement.
Surgical dislocation, which temporarily removes your femur from its socket in order to fix problems that cannot be seen otherwise.
Cartilage restoration, for severe cartilage defects or deep within the joint.

While our program offers many surgical and non-surgical solutions, some patients may still need a hip replacement or hip resurfacing. If so, we have a team of experts for hip resurfacing and hip replacement.

Patient Stories

Linzi's Comeback

Now, two years after my surgery, and with a very hyper almost four-year-old and a second child on the way, I am not in pain anymore. I couldn't have asked for a better recovery process or better people to take care of me!

What Sets Us Apart?

The Hip Preservation Program is the largest hip treatment center in the nine-county area, and one of the only programs of its kind in the United States.

We also run the only Hip and Knee Arthritis Clinic in the region, and we are the local experts in less invasive treatments for younger patients.

We offer:

Early intervention: Many pediatric and adult patients benefit from our ability to diagnose and treat hip problems early, resulting in better hip functioning.

A focus on preservation: Our program looks for the best ways to preserve and optimize your hip's natural anatomy through less-invasive surgeries—or by avoiding surgery altogether.

New surgical options: If surgery is needed, we offer the area’s most complete range of experts for joint replacement. These doctors, nurses, technicians, and other specialists work exclusively with joint replacement patients.

The region's top specialists: Our surgeons are orthopaedic specialists with the most advanced training, making them uniquely qualified for treating hip pain.

A collaborative team approach: You will be cared for by a team that includes pediatric and adult hip preservation surgeons, nurses, physician’s assistants, therapists, and other specialists, all highly experienced at treating hip pain.