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Hip Pain Treatment Specialists | Hip Doctors in Brooklyn & Manhattan, NY

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Hip Pain in Downtown Brooklyn & Lower Manhattan

Hip pain is a general term that is used to describe pain that is experienced in the hip joint or around it. There are cases where it’s not felt directly in the hip but rather in the thigh or the groin. It is often caused by a condition or an injury.

One of the most common causes of acute hip pain is believed to be tendonitis. It is a condition that is caused once the tendons become inflamed, which often occurs due to excessive exercise. Although it is a condition that can lead to severe pain, it is also a condition that typically goes away on its own within a couple of days. Chronic hip pain is often caused by arthritis.

Arthritis can make it difficult to walk and can cause stiff joints, tender joints, as well as pain in the joints. There are different types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, infectious arthritis, or a trauma to a joint, such as a fracture. Another condition that often leads to hip pain is trochanteric bursitis. It is a condition that occurs once the bursa becomes inflamed. The bursa is a liquid-filled sac that is found near the hip joint. Different factors can lead to trochanteric bursitides, such as hip injury, overuse of the joints, or posture issues.

A hip fracture is also common, but most commonly affects those who suffer from osteoporosis and are older. Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones, which occurs due to age or other factors. A hip fracture might occur very suddenly and lead to severe hip pain. A fractured hip can also lead to further complications, such as a blood clot that can occur in the leg.

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A hip fracture in often cases will require surgery for it to be corrected. Most patients also require physical therapy to recover from the fracture and surgery.

There are also some less common, but possible causes of hip pain, such as osteonecrosis and snapping hip syndrome. Osteonecrosis, other referred to as avascular necrosis, is a condition that occurs once the blood doesn’t reach the bones, whether this is only temporarily or permanently. This can cause a loss of the supporting bone. Once this condition occurs, the cartilage will be normal at first but will begin to collapse with time. This can lead to bones breaking or fully crumpling. Some possible factors that can increase the possibility of suffering from this condition, such as a joint injury, often use of alcohol or steroid medications, or cancer treatments. The cause of osteonecrosis is often very difficult to determine.

Snapping hip syndrome is a condition that affects athletes and dancers the most. It is characterized by a sound of snapping or a feeling of snapping within the hip. It is a snapping that might happen while you’re walking or while you’re getting up out of a chair. The condition is in often cases painless, but it can also lead to some pain. Snapping hip pain typically occurs after a cartilage tear, or after fragments of material in the hip.

You must speak to a doctor when you suffer from hip pain for longer than a couple of days. Your doctor can help you to find a way of managing the symptoms of your condition. It is important that you speak to your doctor in cases where the hip is bleeding or if you see a bone or muscle exposed, if you can’t bear weight or if you hear a popping noise. It is just as important that you seek immediate help in cases where the hip joint seems to be swollen or deformed, or if you suffer from severe pain. Quick medical attention is very necessary, in cases where besides pain, you also experience redness, warmth, soreness, swelling, or tenderness. Such symptoms might also be signs of a serious condition, such as septic arthritis. Septic arthritis is a joint infection, which can lead to osteoarthritis or deformed joints if it is left untreated.

To diagnose your hip pain, your doctor will ask you several questions, such as at what time of the day is the pain worse, whether it can make it difficult for you to walk, what symptoms appeared first, and so on.

Your doctor might also ask you to walk around and observe the joint while you’re moving. Your doctor will also measure the movements in the normal hip with the ones in the abnormal hip to compare the two. Your doctor might also order some imaging tests or fluid tests. A fluid test includes samples of urine, samples of blood or joint fluid, which are tested in a laboratory. An imaging test might include a CT scan, an X-ray, an MRI scan, or an ultrasound. Your doctor will use such tests to get a better view of the bones, cartilage, as well as of other tissues.

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How is hip pain managed?

Treating hip pain depends on what causes the symptom. If your pain is caused by excessive exercise, it might be enough to simply rest. This kind of pain typically goes away on its own within a couple of days.

If you suffer from arthritis, you might need to get prescription medications, which can help to provide relief from stiffness and pain. The doctor might also need to refer you to a physical therapist, who can show you what kind of exercises to do, to keep your joint mobile. In cases of an injury, it can be helpful to rest and take medications, such as naproxen, to provide you with swelling and pain relief.

Steroid injections can also help to provide the patient with relief from pain and swelling. Such injections are often helpful in cases where over-the-counter pain relievers haven’t been able to help the patients manage their symptoms.

A hip fracture or a malformation of the hip, as well as some injuries, might all require surgical intervention in the effort of repairing and replacing the hip. During a hip replacement surgery, the surgeon will replace the hip that is damaged with an artificial one. Hip replacement surgery requires physical therapy, as the patient needs to get used to the new joint. It is however a very common surgery and in most cases it is successful.

There are also some alternative therapy motions for hip pain. Some patients can profit from acupuncture sessions or from seeing a chiropractor. Discuss the possibility of alternative therapy with your doctor before undergoing it.

It is important to know the cause of the hip pain, for it to be treated correctly. In cases of minor injuries or exercise-related accidents, hip pain might not take long to heal from and no treatment whatsoever might be necessary. However, in cases of more serious conditions, such as necrosis, arthritis, or a fracture, the symptoms might worsen and it might take a while for the condition to go away.

Page Updated on Dec 16, 2020 by Dr. Raj Raval, MD (Pain Management Doctor) of Downtown Pain Physicians Of Brooklyn
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  • Dr. Raj Raval, M.D.

    1. Board Certified
    2. Interventional Pain & Musculoskeletal Medicine Specialist
  • Education & training

    1. SUNY Health Science Center
    2. Rutgers University Fellowship
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  • Dr. Raphael Jaramillo, MD

    1. Board Certified
    2. Interventional Pain & Musculoskeletal Medicine Specialist
  • Education & training

    1. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
    2. New York University
    3. Rutgers University
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