Hip Pain Specialist

What causes hip pain?

Hip pain that comes on suddenly is likely to be caused by an injury to the joint. Fractures and dislocations, strained tendons, and sprained ligaments are some of these pain-causing injuries. You can also damage the articular cartilage that covers the bones in your joints or the labrum, a ring of cartilage inside the hip socket.

Hip pain that develops more slowly is often caused by an overuse injury. Tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons) is one overuse cause of pain.

Another common problem is bursitis, particularly trochanteric bursitis. The trochanter is on the outside of your hip, cushioned by a sac of fluid called a bursa. Inflammation in the bursae creates pain in the side of your hip.

Arthritis is another frequent cause of long-term hip pain.

How is hip pain treated?

Treating hip pain successfully depends on an accurate diagnosis. Dr. Humpherys examines your hips, looks at your medical history, and asks about your symptoms. He then orders diagnostic imaging, like X-rays, that he uses to determine the cause of your hip pain.

Treatments for your hip pain can include:

• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Ice and heat
• Steroid injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
• Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC)

Changing your activities to relieve stress on the joint is essential.

When might I need surgery for hip pain?

A severe fracture often requires urgent hip surgery. You’ll need surgery for hip pain if you have arthritis and other treatments are no longer effective. Or Dr. Humpherys can make various repairs to the hip joint using minimally invasive hip arthroscopy.

Some of the surgeries he specializes in include:

• Cartilage restoration
• Labral repair
• Labral reconstruction
• IT (iliotibial) band lengthening
• Greater trochanteric bursectomy
• Femoral acetabular impingement reduction

Dr. Humpherys is the only provider in the western United States using the Pivot Guardian™ system from the Stryker Corp. for hip arthroscopy. The hip joint is too tight to allow easy access by arthroscopic instruments, so it needs to be opened (distracted). Hip joint distraction involves pulling the patient’s leg away from the groin and supporting it with a post.

However, groin injuries happen in some patients using this method. Stryker’s Pivot Guardian post-free distractor enables Dr. Humpherys to do hip arthroscopy without risking damage to your groin. He also uses Stryker’s Hip Check™ surgical planning tool for hip arthroscopy. This navigation system uses fluoroscopy technology (essentially a moving X-ray).

If you have hip pain, find out how Dr. Humpherys can relieve it. Call Rapid City Orthopedics today or book an appointment online.