The hip joint is a very large ball and socket joint that sees a lot of force with every step the body takes. The joint represents the connection between the lower extremity and pelvis. There is a large cartilage surface area with this connection that is subject to arthritis and injuries from “wear and tear arthritis”, post traumatic arthritis, sports related injuries, motor vehicle accident injuries and falls especially in the elderly.

It is important when dealing with hip pain to make sure that it is actually coming from a hip problem and not a lumbar spine problem, which can cause hip pain such as from symptoms of spinal stenosis radiating into the hip and thigh area.

How is hip and leg pain evaluated at an Arizona pain center?

The first step is a comprehensive history and physical examination. This will involve figuring out when the pain occurs, how often it lasts, and where exactly it is situated. If the pain only comes on with weight bearing and goes away with sitting, then most likely is due to some sort of arthritis or possibly even a stress fracture. in addition, a person may also have pain with activity due to a soft tissue injury such as from a tendon being inflamed or maybe a cartilage injury inside the joint that is irritated with motion. This may include a labral tear or a greater trochanteric bursitis where muscle tendons rub over the outside area of the hip.

During a physical examination, the doctor will palpate the joint area itself and put it through an extensive range of motion. If the joint itself is tender and painful when rotated, arthritis may be the culprit.

X-rays of the hip and pelvis performed at a Phoenix pain clinic are typically included in the work up and may show predominant arthritis.

Hip arthritis may also cause pain that radiates from the joint itself down into the thigh. So it may overlap with the same pain that is seen from spinal stenosis in the lumbar area. That type of pain radiates around the hip into the thigh and may be consistent with the same type of pain seen from hip arthritis.

One of the ways to delineate between a hip joint problem and one from the lumbar spine is a diagnostic injection into the hip joint itself with numbing medicine. The injection is performed under fluoroscopy which is a real-time form of x-ray as there are some vital structures between the skin and the hip joint.

Into the joint the doctor will inject numbing medicine and within five minutes the patient should be able to tell how much pain relief is going to be achieved. If it is a lot, the presumption is that the hip is the culprit for the problem. If not, an MRI of the lumbar spine may be necessary with the end result being a successful series of epidural injections for pain control.

Another problem that may cause pain in the hip region is a bursitis on the outside part of the hip called grader trochanteric bursitis. This is a common condition that is best treated non-operatively with physical therapy and an office-based steroid injection into the outside part of the hip. For those individuals who have hip arthritis, there’re multiple ways to avoid a hip replacement surgery or possibly just delay it for a few years.

Pain management doctors in Arizona can perform corticosteroid injections into the arthritic joint with typical excellent results for a few weeks to months. There are also hyaluronic acid injections such as with Synvisc that have been shown to provide excellent benefit for upwards of a year.

Physical therapy along with chiropractic treatment can also help delay the need for the surgery.

For those who have pain that persists all day long and wakes someone up at night, further workup is necessary. There is the rare circumstance of a tumor which should be looked for in these instances.

Arizona Pain Specialists are experts in the treatment of spinal stenosis and hip arthritis pain. They understand exactly how to tell the difference between whether or not pain is actually emanating from the hip or spine. The last thing you want is to receive a series of steroid injections into an area that is not causing your problem. With Board Certified and Fellowship Trained Arizona pain doctors, APS will make sure that does not happen.

Call today at (602) 507-6550.