Hip Pain

Hip Pain That Won’t Quit Deserves Real Answers

Whether your pain comes from a labral tear, arthritis, or something still undiagnosed, Dr. Osuji evaluates every patient from scratch, and builds a treatment plan around your hip, your life, and your goals.

Request An Appointment
Comprehensive Solutions for Hip Pain Treatment
Understanding your pain

Common Causes of Hip Pain

The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that bears your body weight with every step. Pain can arise from the cartilage, the soft tissue lining, the bones themselves, or the structures surrounding the joint.

Labral Tears

The labrum is a ring of cartilage that helps seal and stabilize the hip socket. Tears often develop from impingement, repetitive motion, or athletic activity and can cause a deep, catching ache in the joint. Left untreated, they may contribute to faster joint wear.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage cushioning the joint gradually wears away. As the joint surfaces begin to rub together, patients often experience stiffness, pain with weight-bearing, and reduced range of motion, especially in the morning or after inactivity.

Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)

FAI develops when the bones of the hip are shaped in a way that causes the femoral head to pinch against the rim of the socket during movement. Over time, this repeated contact can damage the labrum and cartilage, leading to pain and loss of function.

Bursitis and Tendinitis

Inflammation of the bursae or tendons around the hip can lead to pain along the outer hip and tenderness with movement or pressure. These conditions are often aggravated by overuse, prolonged activity, or lying on the affected side.

Inflammatory Arthritis

Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis can cause the immune system to attack the joint lining, leading to swelling, warmth, stiffness, and pain. Inflammatory arthritis may also be accompanied by fatigue and symptoms affecting other joints.

Fractures and Acute Injuries

Falls, trauma, and stress fractures can cause sudden and severe hip pain. In older adults especially, hip fractures require prompt evaluation and often surgical treatment to restore stability and mobility.

Our Approach

Diagnosis First, Then Treatment

Dr. Osuji takes the time to understand not only where your hip hurts, but why it hurts and how it is affecting your daily life. Every evaluation includes a detailed medical history, physical examination, and targeted imaging such as X-rays, MRI, or CT scans when needed. The goal is always to establish an accurate diagnosis before recommending treatment.

Conservative Care First

Many patients can achieve meaningful relief without surgery. When appropriate, treatment begins with non-surgical options such as anti-inflammatory medications, guided physical therapy, activity modification, and targeted injections including corticosteroid or PRP therapy.

Joint Preservation Whenever Possible

Preserving the natural hip joint is always a priority when possible. Early diagnosis and treatment can help slow progression, reduce damage, and potentially delay or avoid the need for joint replacement surgery.

Our Approach

When Surgery Is the Right Next Step

Conservative treatment works well for many patients, but surgery may be the best option when pain continues, joint damage becomes advanced, or a structural issue such as a labral tear requires repair.

Minimally invasive

Hip Arthroscopy

Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure performed through small incisions using a camera and specialized instruments. It is often recommended for patients with labral tears, femoroacetabular impingement, cartilage damage, or loose bodies within the joint.

  • Labral repair or reconstruction
  • Bone reshaping for FAI
  • Cartilage treatment
  • Faster recovery than open surgery
Long-term relief

Total Hip Replacement

When the joint is no longer suitable for preservation due to advanced arthritis, avascular necrosis, or severe degeneration, total hip replacement can provide reliable pain relief and restore function.

  • Advanced osteoarthritis or avascular necrosis
  • Severe joint damage that has not responded to other treatments
  • Significant limitations in mobility and quality of life
  • Long-term relief with modern implant technology

Anterior Approach Hip Replacement – Less Cutting, Faster Return

Dr. Osuji performs total hip replacement using a muscle-sparing anterior approach. Unlike traditional posterior techniques, the anterior approach works between muscle groups rather than detaching them. For many patients, this can mean less post-operative pain, fewer movement restrictions during recovery, and a quicker return to walking and daily activities.

Is it time to see a specialist?

Signs Your Hip Pain Should Be Evaluated

Not every ache requires surgical care, but certain symptoms may signal an underlying structural problem that deserves expert evaluation.

  • Pain that has lasted more than a few weeks and is not improving with rest
  • Difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or getting up from a chair
  • Hip pain that disrupts sleep or is present even at rest
  • Clicking, locking, or catching sensations in the joint
  • Pain that continues to worsen despite over-the-counter treatment
  • Avoiding activities you once enjoyed because of hip discomfort

Hip Pain Q&A

Your hips do more than move your upper legs. They maintain your balance, support your upper body weight, and sustain the wear-and-tear of repetitive movements. These physical demands make the hip joint and its supporting ligaments and muscles susceptible to painful injuries and degenerative changes.

Dr. Osuji and his experienced Signature Orthopedics team provide exceptional care for all causes of hip pain. The most common conditions include:

Osteoarthritis

Over years of hip movement, the protective cartilage breaks down, exposing the bones and allowing them to grate against one another.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is when your immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues of the joint, causing chronic inflammation.

Injuries

Overuse injuries develop when repetitive movements tear the ligaments and muscles. Other common hip injuries include fractures, dislocations, and labral tears (damage to the cartilage surrounding the joint).

Bursitis

Bursae are thin, fluid-filled sacs that create a cushion between soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, and skin) and bones. Bursitis occurs when these sacs become inflamed.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis (an inflamed tendon) most often occurs in the flexor tendons, which pull your upper leg and knee up toward your body. You’re most likely to have this problem if you participate in sports like running and cycling.

The conditions responsible for hip pain usually cause additional symptoms. You can experience:

  • Swelling
  • Joint stiffness
  • Limited movement
  • Muscle weakness
  • Limping (unable to put weight on your hip)
  • Grinding or clicking sensations in the joint

Hip pain typically gets worse when you’re active or lie on the affected side when resting or sleeping.

Dr. Osuji and his Signature Orthopedics team always begin with conservative treatments. Your care plan can include avoiding the activities that cause pain, using an assistive device (a walker or cane), taking anti-inflammatory medication, and participating in physical therapy.

If your pain doesn’t improve, Dr. Osuji recommends treatments like steroid joint injections and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. PRP contains cells from your blood that naturally reduce inflammation and speed healing.

A hip fracture almost always needs surgery or a hip replacement to repair the damage. Dr. Osuji might suggest a total hip replacement when advanced arthritis extensively damages the joint.

You can confidently turn to the Signature Orthopedics team when you need help with hip pain. Call the office today or book an appointment online.

While occasional hip discomfort is common, you should seek medical attention if your hip pain:

  • Is severe or persistent
  • Interferes with your daily activities
  • Is accompanied by swelling, redness, or warmth in the hip joint
  • Occurs after a fall or injury
  • Doesn’t improve with home care measures like rest and over-the-counter pain relievers

When conservative treatments are not enough, Dr. Osuji may recommend surgical interventions such as:

  • Hip arthroscopy: A minimally invasive procedure to repair damaged cartilage or labrum.
  • Hip replacement surgery: Partial or total hip replacement to replace the damaged joint with a prosthesis.