What is this pain in my hip?

Symptoms:

When you walk you have pain on the front of your hip in the groin so bad that it’s causing you to limp, or you feel a grating sensation in your hip joints. You have pain on the outer side of your hip and the bone underneath feels tender, you’ve recently been on a walking and trekking trip. You have severe pain at the back of your hip joint in the middle of the buttock, and sometimes the pain goes down the back of your leg into the sole of your foot.

It could be:

Osteoarthritis, the natural ageing process of joints, made worse by being overweight or sustaining a past injury causing breakdown of the joint.

Bursitis, a painful condition that affects the small fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles around your joints where long spells of walking caused them to become inflamed.

Sciatica, possibly due to pressure on the sciatic nerve as it emerges from the spine between intervertebral discs. Stop it:

Take painkillers, see your doctor for an assessment, and if the arthritis is serious, seek an opinion on having a hip replacement.

See your doctor if the pain doesn’t go away in a few weeks. Take NSAIDS for the pain – you may need a course of physio to help stop the inflammation.

Don’t rest up, keep moving and take painkillers. If it doesn’t improve in a week or so, see your doctor for assessment and scans.