Hip Injuries

Sports related hip injuries are generally diagnosed by an orthopaedic specialist.

Modern technology is extensively employed to enable accurate diagnostic techniques, which can usually establish the cause of chronic hip pain, enabling prompt and relevant treatment. These diagnostic technologies include X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI scans.

Hip fracture: If you suspect a hip fracture, you need to go to hospital. A doctor will assess you by initially asking how you injured yourself and enquire about any medical conditions. They will take your temperature, check for dehydration and assess your mental state. You may be given painkilling medication, a local anaesthetic and/or intravenous fluid. It is likely you will be referred for an X-ray, MRI scan or CT scan to confirm whether your hip is fractured.

Osteoarthritis: You should see your GP if you have persistent symptoms of osteoarthritis. As well as pain and stiffness, you may also notice:

• Joint tenderness
• Joints appearing knobbly or larger than usual, or making a crackling or grating sound
• Limited movement in the joint
• Muscle wasting

Sports related hip pain is typically the result of a fall, where the hip joint is subject to hard impact. It can also be caused from repetitive motion, or from an isolated event involving too much stress or strain on the hip joint.

More often than not, hip related injuries are caused from either improper care prior to performance, or increasing the sports activity too quickly, or too rigorously.

Osteoarthritis

Generally, the most common cause of hip pain is osteoarthritis. The condition is caused by:

• Inflammation of the tissues in and around the hip joint
• Damage to the cartilage that coats the moving parts of the joint
• Bony growths (osteophytes) around the edge of the joint

The symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness in the hip. You may have problems putting on shoes or socks, or getting in or out of a car.

Chronic hip pain can sometimes be treated without major surgery, although this will only become apparent on more detailed examination.

Treatments range from non-operative or minimally invasive care through to complex joint reconstruction and replacement.

Some sports related hip injuries could improve by reducing or stopping the activity that causes painful symptoms.

However, this can be frustrating if you enjoy sports and want to continue with your usual routine.
Many sports related injuries require proper treatment, following accurate diagnosis.

These may help in the short-term:

• Apply ice to inflammation
• Monitor pain and link it to associated activities
• Stop doing the activities that cause pain – this is important to prevent further damage
• Replace old sports equipment, such as footwear – a shoe with a thick sole may help absorb shock and protect the hip joint. Orthotics may be useful too.
• Ensure to adequately stretch following any exercise
• Consider a daily Vitamin D and Calcium supplement

Non-operative, diagnostic and minimally invasive hip treatments

Hip pain that is caused by minor muscular strains, worn cartilage, bursitis, excessive exercise or mild osteoarthritis could benefit from either non-operative treatment or minimally-invasive surgery. It is, however, important to have early and accurate diagnosis of the causes of chronic hip pain.

Operative treatments for the hip

Trauma resulting in hip fracture, severe bone infection, malformation of the joint, or conditions where non-invasive treatment may all need to be treated by an operation to replace some or all of the joint. Operations – known as revisions – are sometimes needed to upgrade or replace some or all of a hip replacement.