Sports Medicine/Orthopedics Expert Dr. John-Paul Rue Discusses Various Causes of Hip Pain in Women

Hip pain is an ailment that women tend to suffer more often than men. There are many causes and a variety of treatments.

Emily Wasil's hip pain started with a foot injury.

"I suffered a foot fracture in May of 2018, and then once I was cleared to start working out again, I would start running and have intense hip pain immediately after running," Wasil said.

After months of living in pain, she decided to go to the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy Medical Center.

"They diagnosed me with a labral tear," she said.

A labral tear is a tear to the cartilage lining the hip.

According to John-Paul Rue, M.D., is a fellowship-trained board certified orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Mercy, hip pain is fairly common, especially in women, and there are several causes besides an acute sports injury. They include arthritis, hip fractures, tendonitis and bursitis, and a hernia.

"But then you also have to consider some of the things you may not think of as the hip, and these are back pain that radiates down to the hip, and even gynecologic issues that radiate pain can be interpreted as hip pain," Dr. Rue said.

Treatment varies depending on the diagnosis -- anything from surgery to something non-invasive.

"Physical therapy is a significant mainstay for really helping your body recover and overcome the imbalances that you may have," Dr. Rue said.

Wasil is a believer.

"Intense physical therapy, which worked wonders. I'm back in the gym now, running like I was before, pretty much doing everything I was before, which is wonderful," she said.

She said her only regret is that she waited so long to get a diagnosis.

View Mercy sports medicine expert and orthopedic surgeon Dr. John-Paul Rue’s interview about hip pain.