What does a hip impingement feel like and when do you need treatment?

You feel twinges of pain when rotating your hip. It’s difficult for you to walk uphill or get into or out of the car. If these scenarios sound familiar, you might have an issue called hip impingement. 

Medical professionals refer to hip impingement as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), and researchers estimate that up to 15% of adults have this hip issue. People who have a hip impingement should pay close attention to what it feels like. One reason for this is that these feelings could mean you need to seek treatment for your FAI. 

What can a hip impingement feel like?

Hip impingement is an issue where there is abnormal contact between the head of the femur and the hip socket. This contact tends to cause increased friction in the hip joints, which can lead to increased femoral head wear. It can lead to labral tears and other hip problems as well. 

There are several ways that people describe what a hip impingement feels like. These include sensations like: 

• Stiffness in the groin
• Pain in the front of the thigh
• Pain down the buttock
• Popping or clicking in the front of the hip during movement
• Difficulty moving hip through full range of motion

When should you seek treatment for hip impingement? 

In the early stages of FAI, resting your hip for a few days can help reduce pain and other symptoms. Additionally, medical professionals typically recommend using over-the-counter pain medication to treat early hip impingement symptoms. You can also make changes to your daily routine that help you avoid activities that cause symptoms to worsen. 

After a while, these may no longer work for controlling your symptoms. If this is the case, it’s time to seek other treatment options for your hip impingement. 

Advent Physical Therapy can help you learn what a hip impingement feels like and treat it, too

Are you looking for more information about what a hip impingement feels like? Do you need treatment for your symptoms? Our team at Advent Physical Therapy can help. We offer free screenings that can confirm if you have a hip impingement. This service also allows us to observe how your FAI is affecting you. With this information, our therapy specialists can build you a personalized treatment plan for your hip impingement and the symptoms it’s causing. 

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your hip impingement. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule your free screening.