Hip arthritis is often mistaken for a back problem, because patients point to the groin and clinicians look at the spine. At Remix Medical in Houston, our pain management physicians locate the true source of hip and groin pain and treat it with image-guided intervention.
What is Hip Osteoarthritis?
Hip osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage in the ball-and-socket joint formed by the femoral head and the acetabulum. As the cartilage thins, the joint space narrows, the bone thickens beneath it, and motion becomes painful and restricted.
The hip is a deep joint. Its pain does not stay put — it refers to the groin, the buttock, the lateral thigh, and frequently to the knee. A patient whose only complaint is knee pain sometimes has a hip that is the actual problem.
Common Causes of Hip Arthritis
1. Age and Cumulative Load
The most common contributor, and the least avoidable.
2. Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)
Subtle abnormalities in the shape of the femoral head or socket cause repeated abnormal contact, damaging cartilage and labrum over years.
3. Hip Dysplasia
A shallow socket concentrates force over a smaller cartilage surface.
4. Prior Fracture or Avascular Necrosis
Disruption of the blood supply to the femoral head causes bone collapse and secondary arthritis.
5. Inflammatory Arthritis
Rheumatoid and related conditions damage the joint directly.
How Remix Medical Can Help
Distinguishing hip pain from lumbar spine pain is the first job, and it is not always simple — the two commonly coexist. A careful examination of hip range of motion, combined with weight-bearing X-rays, usually settles it. Where it does not, a diagnostic intra-articular hip injection does: if local anesthetic in the joint substantially relieves the pain, the joint is the source.
Treatment then follows the guideline core — education, weight management, and supervised exercise — with interventional options layered on where pain limits participation.
| Approach | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Weight management + supervised exercise | Walking, strengthening, neuromuscular, or aquatic programs with hip abductor work — the foundation across every major guideline |
| Medication management | NSAIDs and topical agents, calibrated to your kidney and cardiovascular status; routine opioids are not recommended |
| Image-guided hip joint injection | Corticosteroid under fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance — both diagnostic and therapeutic |
| Radiofrequency ablation | Of the articular sensory branches, for selected patients |
| Coordinated multispecialty care | Our chiropractic and internal medicine teams where gait, weight, and spine are contributing |
| Arthroplasty referral | Total hip replacement for advanced arthritis that limits daily life and no longer responds to conservative care |