If you are feeling pain in your hips in Vacaville, low back, and other areas in your lower body, you will have a hard time pinpointing the source. Your pain could come from your lumbar spine or your hip or even both. It is important that your doctor can identify the source of your pain so that you get to receive the right treatment.

Your hips and lower spine are located close to each other, which is the reason why you could mistake your hip pain for back pain and vice versa. No matter where the source is, most of the pain from these areas comes from a common cause, which is the normal wear and tear on the body due to overuse injuries or simply aging. Lumbar strains and sprains, herniated discs, and osteoarthritis are some of the most common reasons for degeneration that causes low back and hip pain.

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Signs that it is hip pain in Vacaville

The biggest sign that you have to watch out if your hip is causing the problem is the presence of groin pain. Your hip joint can be found behind your groin, that's why groin pain could mean that your hip is the source of the pain. There are instances where your groin pain will radiate downward towards your knee.

Another sign that your hip is the problem is when the pain centers around or over the hip joint. However, hip problems can point towards your low back, in which it could cause confusion on where the true source is actually located.

Hip-related pain is sometimes caused by osteoarthritis in the hip. Apart from groin pain, people who are experiencing osteoarthritis in their hip joint can sometimes feel the pain in their buttocks, knees, and front of thighs. They may even limp when they walk and their hip's range of motion is reduced. The pain can even worsen with activity while it improves with rest, and the discomfort may come occasionally until it comes more frequently.

While osteoarthritis is the common cause, hip pain can also come from piriformis syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and/or avascular necrosis in the hip.

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Signs that the pain comes from the spine

Since groin pain is a telltale sign that your hip is the problem, low back pain can be indicated by the pain above the waistline that travels down the body. A low back problem can also be the cause for other types of lower body pain, including the buttock, thigh, and below-the-knee pain.

The most common degenerative conditions that affect the lumbar spine include spondylolisthesis, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis. These conditions trigger pain by irritating your low back nerves, then results in a shooting pain in your legs. It could cause numbness, weakness, and reduce your range of motion.

The pain pattern coming from the lumbar spine can be variable, depending on which condition causes the pain. Pain from arthritis of the spine happens during a transition like standing up from sitting or getting out of bed in the morning. It can sometimes improve when you're moving. In contrast, pain coming from nerve pressure or spinal stenosis is sometimes worse with prolonged standing or walking and can be relieved when you're sitting.