Your hip hurts. Or is it your lower back?
It is not always easy to tell. The hip and lower spine are located close together, and problems in either area can cause pain that travels into the buttocks, groin, thigh, or leg. In some cases, a hip condition and a lower back condition can even cause similar symptoms.
Where you feel the pain, what movements make it worse, and whether you experience numbness, tingling, or weakness can provide important clues. However, an evaluation is often the best way to determine where your symptoms are actually coming from.
Not sure whether your pain is coming from your hip or back? Request an appointment with Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons or call (334) 613-9000 for an evaluation.
Why Is It Hard to Tell Hip Pain From Back Pain?
Your hips, pelvis, and lower spine work together during many everyday movements. Because these areas are closely connected, pain caused by one structure may sometimes be felt somewhere else. For example, a problem involving the hip joint may cause pain in the groin, thigh, or buttock rather than directly over the outside of the hip. Similarly, irritation of a nerve in the lower spine can cause symptoms that travel through the buttock and into the leg. This overlap is one reason the location of pain alone may not be enough to determine its source.
Signs Your Pain May Be Coming From Your Hip
Pain originating from the hip joint is often felt in the groin or front of the hip, although it may also be felt in the thigh, buttock, or around the knee.
Symptoms that may suggest a hip problem include:
- Groin pain
- Pain in the front of the hip or thigh
- Pain that may extend toward the knee
- Hip stiffness or reduced range of motion
- Difficulty putting on shoes or socks
- Difficulty getting in or out of a car
- Pain with walking or prolonged standing
- Limping
- Pain that worsens with certain hip movements
Several conditions can cause hip pain, including osteoarthritis, injuries, and problems involving the muscles, tendons, or other structures around the joint.
Signs Your Pain May Be Coming From Your Lower Back
Lower back problems can cause pain in the back itself, but symptoms do not always stay there. When a spinal nerve becomes irritated or compressed, pain may travel into the buttock, thigh, lower leg, or foot. Depending on the cause, you may also experience neurological symptoms.
Signs that your symptoms may be related to your lower back include:
- Pain centered in the lower back
- Pain that travels through the buttock and into the leg
- Burning, shooting, or electric-like pain
- Numbness or tingling in the leg or foot
- Weakness in the leg
- Symptoms that change with certain positions or movements of the spine
- Pain associated with prolonged sitting, bending, or other activities
Conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or other problems affecting the lumbar spine can cause pain and nerve-related symptoms.
What About Pain in the Buttocks?
Buttock pain can be particularly confusing because it may be associated with the hip, lower back, or surrounding muscles and soft tissues. Rather than assuming buttock pain is automatically coming from your hip or spine, pay attention to your other symptoms. Groin pain and limited hip motion may point more toward the hip, while shooting pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness extending down the leg may suggest nerve involvement originating in the lower back. A physical examination can help your physician distinguish between these possibilities.
Hip Pain vs. Back Pain: A Few Clues
Although symptoms vary from person to person, these general patterns may help you better understand what you are experiencing:
Symptom | May Point More Toward the Hip | May Point More Toward the Lower Back |
Groin pain | Common | Less typical |
Lower back pain | Less typical | Common |
Hip stiffness | Common | May occur for other reasons |
Difficulty putting on shoes or socks | May occur | Less typical |
Shooting pain down the leg | Less typical | May occur with nerve irritation |
Numbness or tingling | Less typical | May occur with nerve involvement |
Leg weakness | Can have multiple causes | May occur with nerve involvement |
Pain with hip movement | May occur | Less specific |
These are general clues rather than a way to diagnose yourself. Symptoms can overlap, and some patients may have conditions affecting both the hip and lower back.
How Does Your Physician Determine Where the Pain Is Coming From?
Your physician will typically begin by asking about your symptoms, including where the pain occurs, when it started, what makes it better or worse, and whether you have experienced numbness, tingling, or weakness.
A physical examination may evaluate your:
- Hip range of motion
- Lower back movement
- Strength
- Reflexes
- Sensation
- Walking pattern
- Areas of tenderness or discomfort
Depending on the findings, imaging or other diagnostic testing may be recommended to better understand the source of your symptoms. Getting the diagnosis right matters because treatment for a hip condition may be very different from treatment for a problem originating in the spine.
When Should You See a Physician for Hip or Lower Back Pain?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your pain:
- Persists despite rest and conservative care
- Continues to worsen
- Keeps returning
- Limits walking, exercise, work, or normal activities
- Travels into the leg
- Is accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Makes it difficult to bear weight or move normally
Seek prompt medical attention for severe symptoms following significant trauma or back pain accompanied by new bowel or bladder problems, numbness around the groin or saddle area, or significant or progressive leg weakness.
Hip and Back & Spine Care at Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons
When you are not sure whether your pain is coming from your hip or your back, getting the right diagnosis is the first step.
Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons provides comprehensive orthopedic care for both hip and lower back conditions, giving patients access to physicians who focus on different areas of the musculoskeletal system.
For patients whose symptoms originate from the spine, Milo Sanda, DO, provides specialized Back & Spine care at SOS. Patients whose symptoms are related to the hip can also access orthopedic evaluation and treatment through the SOS team.
Treatment depends on the underlying diagnosis and may include nonsurgical options, such as activity modification, physical therapy, medications, or injections, when appropriate. Surgical treatment may be considered depending on the condition, severity of symptoms, and response to conservative care.
Find the Source of Your Hip or Lower Back Pain
You do not have to figure out on your own whether your pain is coming from your hip or your spine. A thorough evaluation can help identify the source and determine the appropriate next step.
Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons provides orthopedic and Back & Spine care for patients in Montgomery, Prattville, Wetumpka, and communities throughout Central Alabama.
Call (334) 613-9000 or request an appointment online to schedule an evaluation.