Hip pain or hip joint pain (synonyms: coxalgia, coxalgia; ICD-10-GM M25.55: Joint pain: pelvic region and thigh) is referred to as coxalgia. The region includes the entire lateral part of the body (from the iliac crest to the thigh and anterior to the inguinal region (groin) to the gluteal fold (gluteal furrow)).
The spectrum of coxalgia is wide. It ranges from local pain in the inguinal (groin) or trochanteric region (strong bony prominences at the proximal – towards the body – end of the femur /thigh bone) without significant movement restrictions in the hip joint to a completely fixed hip due to a pain-induced relieving posture.
The following forms of hip pain are distinguished:
- Start-up pain – manifested at the beginning of activity; typical in degenerative joint disease.
- Night pain or pain at rest – especially in inflammatory diseases of the joints or when overloaded degeneratively altered joints.
- Strain pain – only when the respective joint is loaded, at rest no pain is felt; in traumatic lesions of a joint, inflammatory or degenerative changes.
The most common cause of coxalgia in adulthood is coxarthrosis (hip osteoarthritis).Under differential diagnoses, the most common causes of atraumatic infantile hip pain, i.e. infantile hip pain without trauma (injury; accident), are also listed and identified.
Hip pain or hip joint pain can be a symptom of many diseases (see under “Differential diagnoses”).
Frequency peak: With increasing age, the number of persons affected by hip pain also increases. Hip pain due to degenerative (wear-related) joint disease does not usually occur before the age of 50.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) of atraumatic childhood hip pain (CHS) is 148 cases per 10,000 population per year (in Germany).
Course and prognosis: Hip pain can occur acutely after severe stress, but it can also become chronic (i.e., last longer than three months). Early diagnosis is crucial to avoid missing the time for joint-preserving therapy in adults.If an infection is suspected (purulent coxitis/hip joint inflammation), an emergency workup and, if necessary, an emergency hip tap should be performed. Hip pain is generally well treatable. Prognosis depends on the underlying condition.
