Find Out What's Causing Your Hip Joint Pain!

Have you ever gone out for a walk or a jog only to find yourself seated along the pavement or in the park as a result of a nailing pain in your hip? Hip joint pain scientifically known as bursitis is a condition when bursa, a fluid sac that helps in reduction of friction among body tissues, becomes inflamed. Aseptic bursitis is common and noninfectious. Bursae, plural of bursa, are adjacent to tendons close to extent joints like the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips. Soft tissue strain or traumas cause inflammation. The bursa is rarely affected by bacteria hence septic.

Ischial and Trochanteric are the main common hip bursae that associate with pain and stiffness of the hip joint causing hip joint pain. Ischial bursa is found in the upper part of the buttock. It causes a dull pain that occurs after long hours of sitting hence given the names "tailor's" and "weaver's bottom". Trochanteric on the other hand is found on the side part of the hip. A bone and a tissue separates it form the main joint. Tronchanteric bursitis causes tendering of outer hip. This makes it hard for patients suffering from bursitis to lie on the affected side.

Hip joint pain is easily diagnosed basing on specific tendering parts and the history of the pain. This is locally done by anesthetic injections to relief the pain. The pain is normally noticed in the outer hip when the patient climbs or descends or when the patient lies on the painful side. The doctor localizes the tendering parts to locate the hip bursae. X-rays are used to check whether there are other joint or bone conditions like arthritis. It's used to highlight parts where calcium has been deposited in the inflamed bursa but in most patients, it's not always used.

Treatment of hip joint pain or hip bursitis is based on the kind of infection. Aseptic or noninfectious bursitis of the hip is treated with rest, ice compresses and inflammatory medication. Occasionally, bursa fluid aspiration is required. This is the removal of bursa fluid using sterilized needle and syringe. It can also be treated with cortisone injection. Injection and aspiration of the bursa are done at the same time. Septic hip bursitis requires more evaluations as it occurs occasionally. Septic bursitis is treated with intravenously antibiotic therapy. However, bursectomy (the drainage and removal of bursa) and aspiration repetition is necessary.