Hip and groin / Buttock pain

Who does this affect?

This is a not an uncommon condition in active and often young people, as well as being seen in older patients. There is a spectrum of diagnoses which may cause this pain.

Symptoms

Pain is felt in the upper aspect of the leg, not always directly over the hip region. Hip pain is present often as a discomfort in the groin, or indeed in the buttock region or the upper outer leg. However pain from the hip may present as pain in the region of the knee or lower leg. Stiffness and loss of movement of the hip joint occur later in some of the conditions, which causes pain.

There may be associated conditions such as inflamed areas on the side of the hip, as well as soft tissue problems inside the hip joint, bone catching (impingement) outside the joint, and arthritis. Indeed the pain you feel in the hip region may actually be the result of a problem in your back, the presence of hernia, or other potential diagnoses.

Investigations

X-rays of the hip are very helpful and establish the diagnosis in the majority of cases. However specialist scans (e.g. CT or MRI) are needed for more complex cases.

Treatment

This varies according to the exact actual cause of the pain in the hip region. The potential treatments may be very different from one individual case to another.

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