Your groin is the area where your upper thigh and lower abdomen meet. Your hip joint is found along the same line beneath your groin. Groin pain and anterior hip pain often occur together, or you may have isolated hip or groin pain depending on the underlying problem.
Pain in or radiating from your groin and hip area can be sharp or dull, and it may start suddenly or build up over time. The type and severity of hip and groin pain vary, based on the possible causes which are outlined below:
Taking over-the-counter medications can help in the short term, but it is far better to address the root cause of your hip or groin pain. Here at The House Clinics, our team of specialist Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and Massage Therapists are expertly trained in the treatment of hip and groin pain injuries.
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It is important to know what may be the underlying cause of your hip or groin pain so that it can be treated correctly.
Trochanteric bursitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sac, called a bursa, on the outside of your hip. The role of the Bursae is to reduce friction by providing cushioning between the tendon and underlying bone. It is usually an overuse injury - the bursa gets irritated because of repetitive movements, which causes pain.
Hip bursitis most often involves the bursa that covers the greater trochanter of the femur, although the iliopsoas bursa can also become inflamed. Hip Bursitis often manifests as a sharp pain that gets worse with movement, prolonged standing, or when lying on the affected side. The pain can be severe.
A condition in which there is abnormal contact (impingement) between the two bones of the hip joint - the rim of the acetabulum (hip joint socket) and femoral head-neck junction (the bone just below the ball part of the thigh bone). With the movement of the hip, friction results in pinching of the soft tissue and irritation to the hip joints, causing pain and limiting activity. It is usually caused by abnormal bone development during childhood growth.
The pain gets worse after sitting for a long time, standing for a long time, and with movements such as getting out of a car. The pain may limit how much you can move your hip.
The labrum is the circular cartilage that surrounds your hip socket. It can tear because of trauma, an overuse injury, or due to femoroacetabular impingement.
The pain can be dull or sharp and increases with activity, weight-bearing, and when you straighten your leg. You may feel clicks, pops, or catches in your joint, and it may feel weak. Treatment is conservative to start with, including physical therapy to mobilise and adjust the hip and strengthen the hip muscles. Rest and anti-inflammatory medication will help. If this fails you may need arthroscopic surgery to permanently repair the torn labrum.
As you get older, cartilage — which helps the bones of a joint move smoothly — wears away. This can lead to osteoarthritis, which causes painful inflammation in the joint. The pain is often constant and accompanied by stiffness in your hip joint and groin. You may feel or hear grinding or clicking in your hip. The pain improves with rest and worsens with movement and standing.
Treatment options include physical therapy to mobilise the hip joint and an exercise programme to strengthen and stretch the muscles around the hip. In the sort-term, anti-inflammatory medication can help too. Weight loss is also advised if this is an issue.
A stress fracture happens when the bones in your hip joint gradually weaken from repetitive movements, such as regular running. If it is not diagnosed, it eventually becomes a true fracture. A break in the upper part of the femur can happen if it is hit very hard in a fall, or when the bone is destroyed by osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis, your bones are weaker and have a higher risk of breaking. Osteoporosis and hip fractures occur most frequently in older women.
Breaking a bone in your hip can be very painful. It gets worse when you try to move your leg or bear weight with it. This is a medical emergency and may require surgery to repair or replace the hip. Usually, you’ll need long-term physical therapy after surgery.
Tendonitis is when a tendon, which connects muscle to bones, becomes inflamed from overusing the muscle. Because tendons are attached to the bone in the hip and the muscle in the groin, the pain can also start in your hip and radiate to your groin.
The pain has a gradual onset. It gets worse with activity and improves with rest.
Hand on sports massage techniques, ultrasound, and interferential treatment, and dry needling may be advised along with an exercise programme.
Avascular necrosis happens when the top of the femur doesn’t get enough blood supply, so the bones die. Dead bone is weak and can break easily.
It is usually associated with hip arthritis but can be traumatic in origin. Avascular necrosis symptoms can include throbbing or an ache in your hip and groin. The pain is severe and constant, but it gets worse with standing or movement
When avascular necrosis affects the hip, it’s usually treated with hip replacement surgery.
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Groin strain happens when any of the muscles in your groin that connect your pelvis to your femur (upper leg) get injured by being stretched or torn. This causes inflammation and pain. It often happens because of overtraining or while playing sports, usually while you are running or suddenly changing direction. It can be a mild or severe strain depending on how much muscle is involved and how much strength is lost.
Pain caused by a groin strain gets worse with movement, especially when you:
The pain comes on suddenly. Muscle spasms may occur. You may notice bruising or swelling in your groin and upper thigh. The range of motion of your hip may be reduced, and your leg might feel weak. You might have trouble standing or walking because of the pain.
Treatment involves hands-on deep tissue massage and an exercise programmme to stretch & strengthen, as well as proprioceptive exercises. Ultrasound treatment, interferential or laser treatment, or dry needling may also be advised.
Our team of Chiropractors and Physiotherapists specialise in assessing, diagnosing, and managing conditions of the hip and groin. They are highly trained in finding the cause of this pain. Before starting treatment, your practitioner will undertake a full assessment. This will involve taking details about your condition, current health and medical history, and performing a physical examination. Sometimes it may be necessary to refer you for other tests, such as X-rays or MRI scans.
Before starting treatment, our practitioners will explain what is wrong, what can be done, and what can be expected from chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment.
At The House Clinics, we also believe that Massage Therapy can work hand-hand with chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment to speed your recovery to full health. We may recommend massage therapy as part of your treatment programme to relieve your condition.
Our Bristol Chiropractors specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of painful conditions caused by the poor mechanical working of the joints, and their associated ligaments, muscles, discs, and nerves.
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Our Bristol Physiotherapy clinic specialises in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of painful conditions that affect the joints of the spine, arms, and legs, as well as the associated muscles, ligaments, and surrounding structures.
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Our Bristol Massage Therapists specialise in the treatment of painful conditions of the body, using a variety of manual soft tissue techniques, which bring relief to your joints and muscles.
Read moreAs a multidisciplinary practice, The House Clinics are able to combine the expertise of our Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy, Podiatry and Chiropody practitioners to offer a unique and exceptional service to our clients. Please speak to your practitioner if you have any queries about other services we offer.
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