Healthy hips support your body’s every movement. When you’re experiencing pain from a hip injury, though, your life can come to a standstill. Hip pain is common among all ages; 30 to 40% of adults who play sports and up to 15% of older adults experience chronic hip pain. As you age, the risk of a hip fracture increases. In fact, more than 300,000 adults over 65 are hospitalized every year due to hip fractures.
The good news is that you can do plenty to keep your hips healthy and strong. Here, we’ll discuss the most common hip injuries and what you can do to prevent them so you can stay active and pain-free.
One of the strongest, most versatile joints in the body, the hip provides stability and mobility, allowing you to move in all directions while absorbing forces to keep your lower back safe from injury. As a major weight-bearing joint, the hips are inherently resilient but can be susceptible to acute and overuse injuries. Here are some of the most common underlying causes of hip injuries.
Hip fracture: One in four adults over 65 will experience at least one fall this year, which can lead to severe injuries, like a broken hip. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling. As you age, your bone tissue can become less dense, increasing the risk of a fracture if you experience a fall–so what used to cause a bruise in the past could result in a fracture later on in life.
Bursitis: A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac that helps to reduce friction and provide a cushion between your bones and tendons. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed. Two major types of bursitis exist in the hip: trochanteric bursitis (on the outer side of the hip) and iliopsoas bursitis (on the front of the hip closer to the groin).
Hip impingement: Hip impingement, otherwise known as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), happens when bone spurs develop on the head of your femur and/or the socket of the pelvis. The abnormally shaped bones begin to rub against each other, potentially causing damage to the surrounding soft tissues like the labrum. Research shows that patients who feel pain and discomfort from FAI likely see a strength deficit in the injured hip and more severe labral tears.
Labral tear: The labrum is a cartilage ring that helps deepen the hip socket so the ball-and-socket joint remains stable while you move. The hip labrum can tear suddenly from an acute injury, like those occurring in sport or an accident, or gradually with wear and tear of the hip joint. The severity of a labral tear can range from small tears at the edges to complete separation from the socket.
Traumatic subluxation or dislocation: The impact of an accident, fall, or sports injury can result in a subluxation, where the head of the femur comes partially out of the socket, or complete dislocation of the femur out of the hip socket. A hip dislocation often causes tremendous pain and may injure surrounding blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments, or tendons.
Osteoarthritis (OA): OA is a degenerative joint disease in which the cartilage on the surface of the bone begins to break down over time. The cartilage protects the bones from rubbing directly against each other. Whenit’s worn down, it causes pain and discomfort in the joint. Research suggests that hip joint osteoarthritis typically occurs in combination with another injury.
Your daily habits directly contribute to the long-term health and function of your hips. Following these tips can promote hip strength, mobility, and overall well-being, so you’ll have many pain-free years to come.
