Is this your symptom?
- Pain in the hip
- Includes minor muscle strains from too much standing, walking or sports (overuse)
- If pain is caused by an injury, see Hip Injury care guide
Causes of Hip Pain
- Muscle Overuse (strained muscles). Hip pain is often from hard muscle work or sports. Examples are too much walking or running. This type of pain can last from hours up to 7 days.
- Trapped Nerves. The nerves in the back can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces as they leave the spine. Sciatica is from pressure on a nerve in the back. It causes tingling, weakness or pain in the leg which may go into the hip (and down to the toes). If symptoms do not go away with rest or treatment, surgery may be needed to release the nerve.
- Viral Illness. Mild muscle aches in both legs also occur with many viral illnesses, such as flu.
- Shingles. The zoster virus can cause leg pain making the skin very sensitive or painful before a rash (shingles rash) appears.
- Septic Arthritis (serious). This is a bacterial infection of a joint space. Main symptoms are fever and severe pain when you move the joint. It may not be possible to move the joint at all. This needs care right away.
- Bursitis. Many joints are covered by fluid-filled sacs called bursas. They help the joint move smoothly. These bursa can get inflamed or infected, causing pain and swelling. The area may look red and feel warm to touch. See your doctor right away if you have these symptoms.
- Tendinitis. Inflammation of tendons where they attach to the bone, caused by overuse. This causes tenderness in the area and pain when the limb is moved or used. Often needs a long period of rest from the activity that caused it. Physical therapy (PT) and/or a steroid shot may be needed to reduce the pain.
- Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. The hip is often affected by osteoarthritis, from wear and tear on the joint. Inflammation like gout may affect just one joint. Others affect multiple joints at the same time. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to the joints involved.
- More serious causes of hip pain:
- Bone cancer or bone infection (osteomyelitis). Fractures can happen during normal activity without there being an injury. Do not ignore ongoing leg pain.
- Referred pain. Pain is sometimes felt in the hip when there is not actually a problem with the hip itself. This is called referred pain. It may arise from the back or could be from a problem in the knee.
Pain Scale
- Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
- Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
- Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.
When to Call for Hip Pain
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call 911 Now
- Not moving or too weak to stand
- Leg is cold, pale and very painful or numb
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Can't put any weight on your leg at all
- Fever with a painful or red hip
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- You had a recent hip replacement
- Hip is red, warm to touch and painful
- Muscles are weak (loss of strength)
- Loss of feeling lasts more than 1 hour
- Severe pain when hip is touched or moved
- Bright red area on skin with lines tracking out from the area
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Rash or area of blisters on the leg
- Swollen hip
- Can't put full weight on the hip or walk normally
- Pain gets worse over several days
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Hip pain lasts more than 7 days
- Hip pain keeps you from work or other activities
- Hip pains happen often
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Caused by overuse
- Mild hip pain
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
