Important Facts About Your Hip
Here is a list of the main problems and concerns we would recommend you get checked out by a health professional before commencing self-management exercise. These are called Red Flags and may indicate a more serious problem that requires medical assessment.
Symptoms That Are Present After Trauma
If your symptoms are caused by a recent traumatic incident (e.g. a fall, football tackle) and you have any of the following symptoms:
- Extensive bruising and/ or swelling around your hip and thigh
- Severe pain and very limited movement of your hip/ Leg
- Leg deformity e.g. foot not sitting in normal position
- Difficulty putting weight through the injured leg.
NOTE: If you have underlying low bone density (e.g. osteoporosis) smaller amounts of force can cause the problems listed above.
Symptoms Where No Trauma Was Involved
- Severe pain and/or inability to stand on one leg
- Significant loss of hip movement
- Heat, redness and swelling around your hip
- Fever or generally feeling unwell at same time as hip pain developed
- Pain and/ or stiffness in other joints at the same time as hip pain developed
- Constant pain which does not change with rest or activity
- Significant pain at night with or without night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss and/ or a previous history of cancer
- Unexplained lumps and bumps that appear or are changing/growing.
NOTE: Special attention should be taken if you have a history of long-term steroid use/ immunosuppressive drugs, recent joint replacement, surgery or steroid injection. Rheumatoid arthritis or other joint disease. Recent infection, Intravenous drug use or alcohol misuse.
Do you have pain at the side of your hip?
- Is the side of your hip painful to touch?
- Is it painful when you lie on your side?
- Have you been diagnosed with Trochanteric bursitis, Gluteal tendinopathy or Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS)?
If you have answered Yes to any of these questions then you may be eligible to participate in a new research study.
We are conducting research to learn about how pain at the side of your hip affects function, quality of life and physical activity.
To participate you must be aged 18 yrs or over and currently reside within Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
For further information please contact:
Dr Chris Clifford, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist by telephone on 0141 331 8806 or by email chris.clifford@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Resources
What is Osteoarthritis video (video 3 min watch)
Hip Exercises
Please make sure you have read through the important information about hip pain before proceeding.
Here are some beginner-to-progressive exercises to help you get your hip moving better. You may need to build these exercises up gradually.
You may be uncomfortable when you start doing these exercises – make sure the level of discomfort feels acceptable to you and that it doesn’t take too long to settle once you are finished.
The exercises should get easier the more consistently you manage to practice them and this may allow you to progress to more difficult exercises.
These are self help exercises:
- Try to enjoy the exercises and work at a pace and level that feels safe.
- Please use a common sense approach when deciding which ones to try.
- The exercises listed are not designed as an alternative to professional advice.