Hip Impingement

Hip impingement often causes pain at the front of the hip or in the groin. Symptoms can build up slowly and may come and go at first.

Common symptoms include:

• groin pain

• pain at the front of the thigh

• pain on the outside of the hip or buttock

• stiffness in the hip

• reduced hip movement

• catching, clicking, or locking in the hip

• limping

• pain when sitting for a long time

• pain when getting up from a chair

• pain when squatting, twisting, pivoting, or lunging

• pain during or after running, sports, gym training, and other activities

Some people describe the pain as a deep ache. Others feel a sharp, stabbing pain with certain movements, such as bringing the knee towards the chest or turning the hip inwards.

Hip impingement is usually linked to the shape of the hip bones. These shape changes may develop during childhood or teenage years as the bones grow. Symptoms may develop later in life if the hip is placed under repeated strain.

Possible causes and risk factors include:

• natural differences in the shape of the hip joint

• repeated twisting, squatting, or pivoting movements

• high-impact sports

• sports during adolescence, such as football, rugby, hockey, dance, or athletics

• previous hip conditions during growth

• reduced strength or control around the hip and pelvis

• family history of hip shape changes

• carrying excess weight, which can place more load on the joint

Sport does not always cause hip impingement. However, active people may notice symptoms sooner because they use their hips more often and with more force.

At your first consultation, your Welbeck consultant will ask about your symptoms, medical history, activity levels, and any previous hip injuries. They’ll want to know where you feel pain, when it started, what makes it worse, and what helps.

They may then examine your hip. This can include checking your walking pattern, hip strength, flexibility, and range of movement. A common examination involves bending and gently rotating the hip to see whether this brings on your usual pain.

Your consultant may recommend tests to confirm the diagnosis and check for related joint damage. These may include:

• X-ray – to look at the shape of the hip bones and check for signs of arthritis

• MRI scan – to look at the labrum, cartilage, and other soft tissues

• CT scan – to show the shape of the bone in more detail

These tests help your consultant understand the type of impingement you have and whether there’s a labral tear or cartilage damage. This helps them recommend the most appropriate treatment.

You can’t always prevent hip impingement, especially if it’s linked to the natural shape of your hip bones. However, you may be able to reduce symptoms and lower the risk of flare-ups by changing how much stress goes through the joint.

Things that may help include:

• building strength in your hip, buttock, thigh, and core muscles

• improving hip control and balance

• warming up before exercise

• avoiding repeated deep squats or lunges if they trigger pain

• changing training loads gradually

• reducing activities that cause sharp hip pain

• using good technique during sports and gym exercises

• keeping a healthy weight to reduce pressure on the hip

• seeing a specialist if hip pain lasts more than a few weeks

It’s important not to stop all activity unless your consultant advises this. Staying active in the right way can help protect your strength, mobility, and overall health.

Hip impingement can place extra pressure on the labrum and cartilage in the hip joint. If symptoms continue and the joint keeps catching or rubbing, this may lead to further damage.

Possible complications include:

• ongoing hip pain

• reduced movement

• reduced ability to exercise or play sports

• labral tears

• cartilage damage

• early osteoarthritis in some people

Not everyone with hip impingement develops complications. Early diagnosis and the right treatment plan can help manage symptoms, protect the joint, and reduce the impact on daily life.

Treatment depends on your symptoms, the type of impingement, your activity levels, and whether there’s damage to the labrum or cartilage. Your consultant will explain your options and help you decide what is right for you.

Treatment options may include:

• activity changes – reducing or adapting movements that trigger pain, while keeping you safely active

• physiotherapy – exercises to improve hip strength, control, flexibility, and movement patterns

• pain relief – medicines such as anti-inflammatory tablets may help some people, if safe for them

• image-guided injection – a steroid injection may reduce inflammation and pain inside the joint

• hip arthroscopy – keyhole surgery to reshape the bone, repair or trim the labrum, and treat cartilage damage, where possible

• open surgery – rarely needed, but may be considered for more complex hip shape problems

Many people start with non-surgical treatment options. Surgery may be recommended if symptoms are severe, if pain affects your quality of life, or if scans show damage that’s unlikely to improve with physiotherapy and activity changes alone.

At Welbeck, our orthopaedic consultants are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.

Get in touch today to book an appointment.