Hip Pain Specialist

What is hip pain?

Hip pain is discomfort in your body’s largest weight-bearing joint: the hip. Your hip joints are ball-and-socket joints that attach your femurs to your pelvis. Ball-and-socket joint configurations allow for a wide range of motion, which can be limited by persistent or severe hip pain. 

What are some of the most common causes of hip pain?

Dr. Schwappach specializes in diagnosing and treating a variety of the many possible underlying causes of hip pain. The hip joint includes bones, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and large blood vessels and nerves. Any of these structures can accumulate damage and cause pain due to:

• Tendinitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Infectious arthritis
• Traumatic arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Bursitis
• Fractures
• Dislocation

Hip injuries, like fractures, and degenerative conditions, like arthritis, commonly affect older adults. However, you can experience a hip injury at any age, and you shouldn’t ignore pain in the joint that lasts longer than a few days. 

How is hip pain diagnosed?

At Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., the doctor evaluates your hip with an in-depth examination when you first arrive. He also examines your medical history and considers your lifestyle while making a diagnosis. 

Hip pain often requires imaging tests or minimally invasive diagnostic procedures to get an accurate diagnosis. Your provider might recommend a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, or ultrasound to examine the damage.

Hip arthroscopy is a procedure that can help diagnose hip pain, but it can also be used to make repairs. During the procedure, Dr. Schwappach makes small incisions in the hip and uses a lighted camera called an arthroscope to view the inside. He can see the joint in real-time on a nearby monitor. 

How can I improve my hip pain?

If your hip pain doesn’t improve with a little rest, ice and heat therapy, or over-the-counter pain relievers, it might be time to consider professional care at Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C. 

Physical therapy can help you maintain your hip’s strength, stability, and mobility despite having a hip injury. It helps with optimal healing and can make a big difference regardless of whether you’ve had hip surgery. 

Depending on the type and degree of damage, At Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., Dr. Schwappach might recommend one of the following procedures to repair or replace your damaged hip joint:

• Minimally invasive total hip replacement
• Hip hemiarthroplasty
• Revision hip replacement
• Hip trauma reconstruction
• Hip fracture surgery
• Labral repair

It takes up to a few months to make a full recovery from hip surgery, and you come in for follow-up appointments during that time. You also take part in physical therapy to optimize your healing. 

To uncover the cause of your hip pain and explore treatment options, call Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., or reserve an appointment online at any location today.