Understanding Referred Pain – The Hip Joint
In our final post on referred pain, we will discuss another common source of referred pain we see in the clinic: the hip joint. As we have done previously in this mini-series, we will discuss what the hip joint is and its common sources of pain referral patterns.
What is the Hip Joint?
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that connects the pelvis to the femur (thigh bone). It is one of the largest and most stable joints in the body, allowing for a wide range of motion while supporting much of the body’s weight during movements such as walking, running, and sitting. Therefore, hip joint pain can be debilitating to an individual’s mobility, function, and quality of life.
Common Hip Joint Pain Referral Patterns
As with many of the other areas we have discussed, hip joint pain can be poorly localized by our brains, giving us the sensation that pain is in one area of our body when it is actually originating from another. In the table below are some of the most common pain referral patterns I encounter concerning the hip joint.
| Referral Patterns: | Symptoms: |
| 1. Groin and Anterior Thigh Pain | Pain in the groin may be sharp or dull/achey and is often felt with activities such as walking, running, twisting, and getting up from a seated position. Pain may also radiate down the front of the thigh as far as the knee. |
| 2. Buttock pain | Dull, aching pain in the buttock, which may worsen with prolonged sitting, standing, walking or activity. It is often felt after prolonged activities or positions, and the pain can persist for some time. |
| 3. Knee Pain | Pain in the knee can be sharp, aching, or felt as a generalized discomfort. It may worsen with activities, but can also be felt while sitting or standing for longer periods of time. It may be accompanied by one of the other pains listed above, or can occur by itself. |
It is worth mentioning that the symptoms listed above are not an exhaustive list of all the referral patterns we see coming from the hip joint. Since hip pain can be referred to a variety of areas such as the groin, knee, buttocks, or outer thigh, recognizing these patterns helps us as physiotherapists to differentiate between hip joint issues and other potential causes of someone’s pain.
This post concludes our mini-series on pain referral patterns commonly seen by therapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre. Our main goal was to outline that pain felt in one area of the body may be originating from another part of the body. Understanding these pain referral patterns allows the appropriate treatments to be identified and prescribed to ensure long-term solutions and results that target the root cause of your symptoms.
If you are experiencing pain, particularly when it is associated with movements that engage the hip or any of the other areas we have covered, seek one of the physiotherapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre who can appropriately identify the root cause of your issues and help you begin your journey to recovery. This blog post was written by physiotherapist Jacob Coelho. To book an appointment with Jacob or one of our other experienced therapists, call 250-314-0788 or book online HERE.