Hip Pain & Injury

Is hip pain from trauma, chronic conditions or simple wear-and-tear keeping you from your work, your favorite activities or just getting out of bed in the morning without hurting?

We can help.

Our orthopedic experts will pinpoint the root cause of your hip pain, and then work with you to create an individualized treatment plan based on your diagnosis and your goals. Maybe your goal is to return to biking, play with your grandkids or just sleep better at night without pain.

We'll start you off with a program of conservative therapy options (physical therapy, medical management, massage therapy, acupuncture) designed to meet your goals.

Should surgery be necessary, our surgeons are pioneers in minimally invasive and computer-navigated procedures for both hip repair and hip replacement.

What are some common problems that cause hip pain?

Pain in the front of the hip, or groin, or even in the buttock and down the leg, can be from the hip joint.

Common sources of pain include degenerative arthritis and labral tears, which involves the ring of connective tissue at the rim of the hip socket.

Hip tendonitis and bursitis are conditions that usually cause pain on the side of the hip and are due to inflammation of a tendon or bursa (a normal fluid sac that limits friction between structures)

Pain in the buttock or back portion of the hip are often not caused by the hip joint, but rather by conditions of the low back, sacroiliac joint, hip girdle muscles, hamstring tendon, and other causes.

How is hip pain diagnosed?

Health history and physical examination are most important. X-rays can be helpful to assess for arthritis, congenital joint deformity, and other bone conditions.

For soft tissue conditions, MRI or high-definition diagnostic ultrasound are helpful.

For labral tears, an injection of dye into the joint (arthrogram) before having an MRI is usually required to identify this condition.

How is hip pain treated?

Treatment often begins with activity modification or rest and use of modalities such as ice. To treat pain, either Tylenol or NSAIDs (anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen) can be considered.

If that does not help, manual treatment with a physical therapist, chiropractor, or massage therapist can be helpful in conjunction with therapeutic exercise to improve flexibility, strength, and control.

In some cases, injections of corticosteroids (steroids) and/or numbing agents may be considered. With some conditions, surgery may be an option if these treatments are not adequate.

Are there alternative treatment options?

Some patients find benefit from acupuncture, dry needling, and natural medications. Injection of platelet rich plasma (PRP), one’s own blood cells that contain natural healing proteins called growth factors, has shown promise to treat certain peripheral joint conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis.

Hip Replacement Surgery

If joint replacement surgery is the answer, our skilled orthopedic surgeons lead the region in minimally invasive and computer-navigated surgical techniques that will get you back to your life faster and with less pain.

Our Joint Replacement Program will provide everything you need to prepare for surgery and rehabilitation.

EvergreenHealth also has the only surgeons on the Eastside offering the direct anterior approach for hip replacement.

The EvergreenHealth Neuroscience, Spine & Orthopedic Institute

EvergreenHealth Hip Care is part of the EvergreenHealth Neuroscience, Spine & Orthopedic Institute. The state-of-the-art facility offers experts in orthopedic care, comprehensive rehabilitation services and patient-friendly access.

By bringing our key services together under one roof, we are able to coordinate complex care issues with our network of specialty providers.

Take a virtual tour of the Institute