If you are like many people out there, having sudden sharp pain in hip comes and goes for a couple of reasons. You could have pulled a muscle, or you could have injured your hip years ago. Either way, if you don’t get medical advice and wait it out, you could end up with a long list of medical problems and damage to the hip itself that will be very difficult and expensive to reverse.
Sudden sharp pain in the hip comes and goes, usually indicating that something is going on internally. Your body is in the process of healing itself and getting back into shape while you are waiting for the doctor to arrive. You should try to keep yourself active as much as possible and use some rest if you need to take a nap but make sure you go to the doctor if you feel anything worse.
If you have pulled a muscle, this can also indicate a problem with the tendons. The tendons are responsible for attaching the bones to the muscles. If they become inflamed, this can cause walking, running, jumping, and everything else. The muscles most commonly affected are the hip flexor, the sartorius, and the adductor muscles. These are ones you want to pay close attention to since they will affect your ability to walk and run. Being injured by a minor injury is not necessarily a sign of a more significant problem, though, and you may just have pulled a muscle in your knee, which is very common.
If you have been injured in the area of your hip called a femoral groove, a lot of problems begin. It’s a space between the bone and the socket of the tibia and the hip flexor. It’s also a place where a lot of friction happens, and it’s been referred to as a “sink” because it can cause sudden sharp pain in your hip. A minor injury can also cause this to other muscles in the hip area like the sartorius and adductor muscles.
A torn rotator cuff is another possible source of sudden sharp pain in your hip. It’s a rotator cuff made up of several muscles and tendons and is located in front of the elbow. This is one of the largest muscles in the body, and if it becomes injured, it can interfere with your ability to move your arms. A torn rotator cuff can cause a lot of pain when it moves, and it’s important to rest it up and let it heal. You can treat it at home with ice packs and a lot of heat, or you can see a physical therapist.
Bursitis is another possible cause of sudden sharp pain in the hip. This is a swelling that occurs in your joints and is usually accompanied by acute shooting pain. Again, it can be caused by overuse or a lack of proper conditioning, but it’s widespread and can occur in the knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and even the spine. Bursitis is typically addressed with anti-inflammatory drugs like prednisone and steroidal injections, but you can also do some things to relieve it. For example, you can apply heat and ice to the joint or take a hot shower or bath and relax.
Another reason a sudden sharp pain in the hip comes and goes is a problem called a runner’s knee. This is an injury to the inside portion of the knee that causes a lot of pain and difficulty walking. This usually occurs when you over-extend your legs, and you find yourself grinding your knee against the ground. There are a few different solutions to this kind of pain, and you can do a lot of stretching and strengthening exercises to help with it.
These are just some of the reasons why a sudden sharp pain in the hip comes and goes. Just know that this condition does happen, and you’re not alone. Over time, most people will experience some pain in their joints, but it doesn’t mean that you have to take it out on yourself. If you do have this problem, see your doctor. They will tell you whether or not you need surgery, physical therapy, or what you have.