What Does Sudden Hip Pain Without Injury Mean?
If you’re suffering with hip pain, you’re not alone. Hip pain can be common, particularly as we get older – but it doesn’t always have an obvious cause. So what does sudden hip pain without injury mean?
Sudden hip pain without injury can be brought on by a variety of factors. The fact is that our hip is a central, but complex joint. Whether we’re going for a stroll, or climbing up and down stairs, we use our hip joints throughout the day, so it’s important we take care of them.
The hip, like any other joint, is made up of many intricate parts. If any one of these pieces of our hip joint is compromised in some way, it affects the hip as a whole and can lead to sudden hip pain without injury.
Today we’re going to pass on information about some causes of sudden hip pain without injury, including arthritis, tendonitis, and bursitis. We’ll be able to help you identify these causes of sudden hip joint pain, but keep in mind that only a medical professional can give you a true diagnosis.
It’s important to note that it’s never a good idea to diagnose yourself based on your own research. Instead, think of this information as a starting point for a conversation between you and your doctor at your next consultation.
So what causes sudden hip pain without injury? Let’s take a look at some of the culprits.
Common causes of sudden hip pain without injury
Understanding the causes of sudden hip joint pain first involves pinpointing the location of hip pain, and what activities (if any) seem to make the pain worsen. These pieces of information will be most helpful in finding the proper diagnosis.
Here are some of the most common culprits for sudden hip pain without injury:
Osteoarthritis
One of the most common causes of sudden hip pain without injury is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis appears when the cartilage that cushions the bones in your joints, such as the hip, wears down over time. This causes your bones to grind together, and results in painful inflammation of the joint.
Bones aren’t designed to grind against each other. Their harsh exterior is strong, but cannot survive this continued irritation. That’s why cartilage plays such a vital role in sheathing bones at joints, preventing the wear and tear on our skeletal system.
When bones have sufficient levels of collagen-rich cartilage, they are able to glide past each other without discomfort during movement. This process is so natural that we don’t feel it. We only feel pain if cartilage has worn away and can no longer provide us with adequate protection.
Younger people generally aren’t as affected as older people when it comes to osteoarthritis, and this may be because collagen, the strong resistance-heavy protein that makes up cartilage, becomes less prevalent with age.
It stands to reason then, that with less collagen on hand, the body cannot regenerate cartilage as it did when we were younger. This explains one possible cause behind the appearance of osteoarthritis in our joints. That’s why many people start searching for effective hip arthritis pain relief as they get older.
General wear and tear, poor posture, and excess weight can all increase your chances of developing osteoarthritis. You can notice arthritis symptoms at any time, and sometimes they catch you off guard, making osteoarthritis one cause for sudden hip pain without injury.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Next on our list of possible causes for sudden hip pain without injury is rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is not caused through general wear and tear. It is actually an autoimmune disease.
Symptoms include stiffness, swelling, and pain in one or more joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is particularly dangerous as it causes your immune system to mistakenly attack your body’s own healthy tissues.
It can affect not just the hip joint, but all the joints in your body – as well as internal organs, skin, and blood vessels.
If you’re feeling arthritic pain symptoms not just in your hip, but at various other locations around your body, it is essential to schedule a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible to seek treatment.
Gout
Gout is another form of arthritis that can cause sudden hip pain without injury. It is caused by an excess of uric acid crystals in the body.
Gout usually only develops in people over age 55, and rather than coming from someone with a history of hip joint injuries, it can be more prevalent in those who have an unhealthy lifestyle.
What does gout look like? Gout causes redness, swelling, and pain in any joint that it affects; often the knee or hip.
Tendonitis
Another common cause of sudden hip pain without injury is tendonitis. Tendonitis happens when tendons become irritated and inflamed – usually due to overuse.
Tendons are the collagen-rich tissues that connect muscles to bones, and a variety of important tendons are found in the hip joint. If any of the tendons in the hip are irritated, it can affect your gait and posture as the rest of your body tries to compensate for the damaged tendon.
When a medical professional tests for tendonitis in your hip, they will probably ask you about when you experience pain, if there is any swelling present, and if you’re feeling a burning, aching sensation that increases with use.
Bursitis
Next on our list of what can cause sudden hip pain without injury is bursitis.
When we think of the hip, we can probably imagine the bones that make up the joint, the muscles that attach to the bones, and the ligaments and tendons that allow those connections to take place. What we may be less aware of are tiny sacs of fluid surrounding our hip joint that cushion our bones, similar to cartilage.
But just like any other part of the body, these parts of the hip joint can become infected or inflamed. This is referred to as “bursitis.”
Bursitis can cause tenderness in your hip joint, redness, and in some cases, fever. Bursitis is more common in women than in men, and the chance of developing bursitis increases with age.
Cysts
From time to time, fluid may pool up in your body where it shouldn’t. These sacs of fluid are called cysts. A cyst could be one culprit for sudden hip pain without injury. You don’t need to have sustained a previous injury to encounter cysts in your hip joint.
Swelling in general causes problems, particularly in joints as it can add unwanted pressure to different areas of the joint, causing discomfort. What causes added discomfort however is if the swelling becomes so great that the cyst bursts. In that moment, pain switches from a dull, constant pain, to something sharper and more uncomfortable.
Hip cysts are most commonly found right around the hip bone on the outside of your hip joint. These are known as acetabular cysts. Sometimes cysts create a dull, constant pain, and other times it is very sharp and uncomfortable.
If you experience intense pain from a cyst, it is probably because the cyst has ruptured. If you think a cyst might be the cause of your sudden hip pain without injury, seek professional help from your doctor, who may be able to help reduce the swelling by draining it professionally.
Strains
The final thing to contemplate for sufferers of sudden hip pain without injury is that even if you’ve been lucky enough to evade a hip injury in the past, seemingly routine movements can sometimes cause a strain in our hips for the first time if we’re particularly unlucky.
To avoid strains, as we reach our older years it’s worth keeping our hips in good shape by keeping up a gentle, but consistent, exercise routine. It’s also important to stretch before and after any strenuous activity as it can help prepare the body for what’s coming up next.
Regardless of what is causing your sudden hip pain without injury, it’s important to visit a doctor for a proper diagnosis if symptoms persist. A health care professional can help you find relief for your hip pain.
The road to relief from hip pain
As we’ve seen, a variety of different medical issues can cause sudden hip pain without injury and it's your doctor’s job to understand your symptoms and use their equipment and experience to give you a proper diagnosis.
Of course, a diagnosis is just the first step. What everyone is really looking for is successful hip pain treatment, and long-lasting relief. Luckily, sudden hip pain without injury has many nonsurgical and surgical treatment options.
Do you need hip surgery?
Some causes of hip joint pain can warrant a surgical consultation, particularly if the pain has been ongoing for a long period of time and other treatment options have proven unsuccessful.
It’s important to note that surgery is only considered as the first option in emergency cases. Because of the inherent risks of surgery, doctors often prescribe medical-based solutions or physiotherapy to treat the causes of hip pain before resorting to surgery.
Nonsurgical treatment options for sudden hip joint pain
When it comes to treatment for hip pain without surgery, there are a lot of options. You can try the R.I.C.E. method (rest, ice, compress, elevate), use NSAIDs like Ibuprofen or Aspirin for swift, short-term relief, or try physical therapy or supplements for a more long-term solution.
Supplements for hip pain can make a big difference in the health of your hips. And one of the best supplements for hip joint pain is collagen.
The best supplement for hip pain
Collagen is a reinforcing protein that lends tensile strength wherever it is applied. It is found all over our body, in our skin, nails, organs, and even blood vessels. But nowhere does collagen really show off its tensile strength like it does in our joints.
As the body naturally rejuvenates damaged tissue in ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, it uses collagen protein to do so. Unfortunately we produce less and less natural collagen as we get older, so sometimes our body doesn’t have adequate stores to keep our joints healthy and pain-free.
That’s where collagen supplementation can be so beneficial!
There are many collagen supplements on the market, but not all of them are high-quality. You want to find a supplement with no excess sugars or additives, and plenty of good reviews. That’s because the majority of supplements are not regulated by the FDA.
You also want to pay attention to the molecule size. Collagen in its whole form is difficult to digest, because the molecules are bigger than the pores in your stomach lining. In order to digest your supplements fully and swiftly, you want to look for hydrolyzed collagen.
A hydrolyzed collagen supplement has gone through a chemical process that breaks the collagen down into easy to digest pieces. This means your body can fully absorb your supplements and put it to use healing your hip.
If you’ve been experiencing hip pain due to damaged cartilage, tendons, or ligaments, hydrolyzed collagen protein may be one of your best options for lasting relief.
