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What to Do If You Have Hip Pain While Walking or Standing
You feel it on the first few steps after you stand up from your desk. Or halfway up the stairs at home. Or a mile into your morning walk along the coast. Hip pain tends to show up during the most ordinary parts of your day, and the timing can tell you a lot about what is happening inside the joint.
Hip pain is common, especially after 50. Studies show that in adults ages 50 to 79, nearly one in four women and about one in 12 men had pain along the outer hip from a group of conditions called greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Continue reading to learn what pain during walking, climbing stairs, and standing up can mean, plus what to look for if you are searching for the best hip surgeon in San Diego to help you get lasting relief.
Common Causes of Hip Pain That Flares Up When Walking, Climbing Stairs, or Standing for Long Periods of Time
The location of your hip pain gives doctors an early clue about which part of the hip is involved:
- Groin pain usually points to a problem inside the ball-and-socket joint. Common causes include arthritis, a labral tear, or femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), where extra bone on the ball or socket rubs during movement.
- Outer hip pain usually comes from irritated gluteal tendons or an inflamed bursa, a small fluid-filled cushion.
- Buttock pain can come from the hip, but it can also travel down from your lower back.
Why Do I Suddenly Have Hip Pain When I Walk?
Walking puts your full body weight on one hip with every step, and different conditions react to that load in different ways:
- Pain that builds the longer you walk, along with stiffness when you first get going, fits the pattern of hip arthritis.
- A sharp pinch or catch in the groin when you pivot can signal a labral tear or FAI.
- Outer hip pain paired with a limp may mean your gluteal tendons are worn or torn.
Why Does Walking Up or Down Stairs Make My Hip Hurt?
Each step up asks your hip to lift your body weight while you balance on one leg. Your gluteus medius, the muscle on the side of your hip that keeps your pelvis level, works especially hard on stairs. When its tendons wear down or tear, climbing stairs can trigger outer hip pain and send you reaching for the handrail. Groin pain on stairs usually points more toward the joint itself. Lifting your knee high to clear a step bends the hip deeply, which can pinch a torn labrum or the extra bone from FAI.
What’s Wrong When I Have Hip Pain When Getting Up From a Chair?
Standing up combines a deep hip bend with a quick push of weight through the joint.
- Stiffness for the first few steps after sitting, which eases once you get moving, fits the classic pattern of arthritis.
- Groin pain after sitting in a low chair or a car can point to FAI or a labral tear.
- Outer hip pain when you rise, especially after sitting with your legs crossed, can come from gluteal tendon problems.
Hip Pain Treatment Options: From Injections to Arthroscopy
Most patients start with activity changes, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medication. When pain lingers, injectable regenerative treatments can calm inflammation and support healing:
- SynoJoynt, a hyaluronic acid injection that cushions arthritic joints
- Arthrex ACP, a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy that uses platelets from your own blood to support tendon healing
- Interfyl, a placental tissue matrix injection that supports soft tissue repair
- Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), which uses cells from your own bone marrow to support tissue repair
If injections stop helping, hip arthroscopy uses a small camera and tiny instruments to repair a torn labrum or reshape the extra bone that causes FAI. For outer hip pain, a surgeon can remove an inflamed bursa or reattach a torn gluteus tendon. For those weighing surgery and searching for the best orthopedic surgeon in San Diego, look for a provider who is highly trained in both regenerative medicine and minimally invasive hip procedures.
Searching for the Best Hip Surgeon in San Diego?
Dr. Sanjum Samagh, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician, leads our team at San Diego Performance Orthopedics & Regenerative Therapy. During his sports medicine fellowship at Northwestern University, he trained in hip arthroscopy and served as an assistant team physician for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks. Today, Dr. Samagh serves as vice chair of orthopedic surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.
At our state-of-the-art clinic, Dr. Samagh performs hip arthroscopy for labral repair and reconstruction, as well as bursectomy and gluteus tendon repair. He also offers SynoJoynt, Arthrex ACP, Interfyl, and BMAC injections, starting with the least invasive option that fits your hip. Our clinic in Encinitas is trusted by patients across Leucadia, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Torrey Pines, and throughout North County San Diego and Southern California.
Your hip should carry you up the stairs and out of your chair without a second thought. For those looking for the best hip surgeon in San Diego, Dr. Samagh can pinpoint what is behind your pain and build a plan to get you moving comfortably again. Ready to learn more about your treatment options?
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