Where Do You Feel Hip Pain?

Pain location does not diagnose the problem by itself. However, it can help you choose the most useful starting point.

What Is Hip Pain?

Hip pain is a symptom rather than one diagnosis. Potential sources include the hip joint, gluteal tendons, bursae, hip flexors, adductors and other muscles around the hip. Pain may also be referred from the lower back or nearby structures.

Common hip pain symptoms include:

• groin pain or a deep ache at the front of the hip;
• outer hip pain, particularly when lying on that side;
• buttock pain or stiffness;
• reduced walking tolerance or a shorter stride;
• clicking, catching or pinching during hip movement; and
• pain with stairs, squats, running, hills or getting in and out of a car.

What Does the Location of Hip Pain Mean?

The location and behaviour of your symptoms provide useful clues. An assessment then compares those symptoms with hip movement, strength, load response and, where appropriate, your lower back.

What Causes Hip Pain?

There is no single cause of hip pain. Symptoms may begin after an injury or training change, or develop gradually as the hip responds to repeated loading, reduced capacity or another health condition.

Hip Arthritis

Hip arthritis commonly causes groin or front hip pain, stiffness and reduced tolerance for walking or other weight-bearing activity. Exercise, strength work, education and load management can form part of non-surgical care.

If you are preparing for or recovering from surgery, see the hip replacement rehabilitation guide.

Outer Hip Tendon Pain

Outer hip pain commonly involves the gluteal tendons and may sit within the broader diagnosis of greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Side lying, hills, stairs and prolonged walking are common aggravating activities.

See the detailed guide to gluteal tendinopathy.

Sport-Related Hip and Groin Pain

Sprinting, kicking, rapid direction changes, deep squatting and sudden training increases can contribute to hip and groin symptoms. Conditions include femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, hip labral injuries and hip flexor pain.

If symptoms are limiting training or competition, sports physiotherapy may help guide rehabilitation and return-to-sport progression.

Referred Pain From the Lower Back

The hip and lower back can produce symptoms in overlapping areas. Buttock, thigh or groin pain may therefore require assessment of both regions rather than assuming that the hip is the only source.

When Should You Worry About Hip Pain?

Many episodes of hip pain can be assessed routinely. However, some symptoms need more urgent medical attention.

A child with unexplained hip pain, a new limp or reluctance to walk should also receive prompt medical assessment, particularly if they cannot bear weight or appear unwell.

Should You Walk or Exercise With Hip Pain?

Complete rest is usually unnecessary for uncomplicated hip pain. Instead, modify activity so that symptoms remain manageable and do not produce a substantial or prolonged flare.

That may mean temporarily shortening walks, choosing flatter ground, reducing running volume or changing the depth and load of gym exercises.

For some forms of outer hip tendon pain, reducing compression can also help. Examples include avoiding prolonged side lying directly on the painful hip or sitting for long periods with the legs tightly crossed.

A Practical Hip Pain Plan

1. Identify the Pattern

   Notice whether the pain sits mainly in the groin, outer hip, buttock or thigh and which activities bring it on.

2. Modify Clear Triggers

   Temporarily adjust walking distance, hills, stairs, running, sitting or gym loading when these repeatedly aggravate symptoms.

3. Keep Useful Movement

   Continue comfortable activity where possible rather than avoiding all movement.

4. Rebuild Capacity

   Progress strength, walking, balance, running or sport tasks according to your symptoms and goals.

5. Arrange Assessment if Progress Stalls

   Seek professional assessment when pain persists, worsens or continues to affect sleep, walking, work or sport.

How Is Hip Pain Assessed?

A physiotherapy assessment aims to identify the likely source of pain and the factors affecting your function. Depending on your symptoms and goals, assessment may include:

• hip movement and joint irritability;
• hip and trunk strength;
• walking and stair tolerance;
• squatting or single-leg control;
• lower-back movement and neurological screening where relevant;
• running or sporting tasks; and
• work or daily activities that reproduce your symptoms.

Testing should match the problem. For example, a runner may need a different assessment from someone whose main difficulty is night pain or reduced walking tolerance.

Do You Need an X-Ray, Ultrasound or MRI?

Not everyone with hip pain needs imaging. Many presentations can initially be assessed from the history, symptom behaviour and physical examination.

Imaging may become useful after significant trauma, when the clinical findings are unclear, when progress is not following the expected pattern or when symptoms raise concern about another condition.

Your GP, physiotherapist or specialist can help determine whether an X-ray, ultrasound, MRI or another investigation is appropriate.

How Can Physiotherapy Help Hip Pain?

Treatment depends on the likely diagnosis, symptom severity, functional limitations and your goals. Management may include education, activity modification, progressive exercise, strength work, mobility exercises, walking or running retraining and manual therapy when it adds useful short-term support.

A Typical Rehabilitation Progression

1. Settle Irritability and Adjust Load

   Modify the activities that are clearly aggravating the hip while maintaining useful movement where possible.

2. Restore Useful Movement

   Address relevant hip, trunk or walking restrictions without forcing painful movement.

3. Build Strength and Capacity

   Progress hip, gluteal, hip flexor or adductor strength and functional exercise according to the diagnosis and goals.

4. Return to Normal Activity

   Progress walking, work, gym, running or sport as strength, confidence and load tolerance improve.

For longer-term exercise prescription, general conditioning or health-related exercise goals, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist may also be appropriate.

What Should You Do Next?

Choose the Right Hip Pain Guide

Use these detailed guides for more specific information.

Hip Arthritis

Groin pain, stiffness and reduced walking or weight-bearing tolerance.

Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome

A common pathway for persistent pain over the outside of the hip.

Gluteal Tendinopathy

Gluteal tendon-related pain around the outer hip.

Trochanteric Bursitis

Information about bursa-related pain around the greater trochanter.

Hip Labral Tear

Hip-joint pain that may include clicking, catching or symptoms with twisting.

Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome

Hip and groin symptoms associated with certain positions and loading patterns.

Hip Flexor Pain

Front-of-hip symptoms involving the hip flexor region.

Lower Back Pain

Useful when hip, buttock or thigh symptoms may be referred from the lumbar spine.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Pain

References

1. Gibbs AJ, Gray B, Wallis JA, et al. Recommendations for the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2023;31(10):1280–1292.
2. Pasculli RM, Callahan EA, Wu J, Edralin N, Berrigan W. Non-operative management and outcomes of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2023;16(10):459–469.
3. Disantis A, Andrade AJ, Baillou A, et al. The 2022 International Society for Hip Preservation physiotherapy agreement on assessment and treatment of greater trochanteric pain syndrome. J Hip Preserv Surg. 2023;10(2):97–114.
4. Koc TA Jr, Cibulka M, Enseki KR, et al. Hip pain and mobility deficits—hip osteoarthritis: revision 2025. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2025;55(11):CPG1–CPG31.

For general Australian consumer health information, see Healthdirect: hip pain.