Pain in your hip or knee can either be acute or chronic. 

Acute pain is usually from a specific injury. For example, a twist of the knee or a fall on your hip. For severe knee or hip pain after a hit or a fall, you should see a doctor right away. 

But for a lot of people, pain in their hips or knees is a more chronic condition—lasting at least 3 months. Chronic hip or knee pain is often related to your joints. Either your hip or knee joint has wear and tear, or the parts of the joint aren’t aligned properly.

While many conditions can cause hip pain or knee pain, we find most people who come see us have one of the following conditions.

Knee pain causes

Many things can cause knee pain, from injuries to long-term joint problems. We help you find the cause and get the right care to feel better.

• Knee arthritis: Arthritis in your knees wears away the cartilage in your joint, causing pain, stiffness and reduced mobility. Osteoarthritis is usually age-related, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition. Both can cause joint pain.
• Meniscus tear: A meniscus tear is a rip in the cushion of your knee, either because of an injury or with age. It usually hurts inside your knee joint.
• Runner’s knee: Called patellofemoral syndrome, runner’s knee causes pain in the front of your kneecap. It usually gets worse with activities like running, climbing stairs or doing squats.
• IT band syndrome: Your iliotibial (IT) band is a structure that runs along the outside of your leg. When it gets irritated, it can rub against the bone on the outside of your knee or hip and cause pain.
• Ligament injuries (sprains): Ligaments connect bones to other bones. In the knee, you can sprain or tear your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or medial collateral ligament (MCL). These are common athletic injuries but can happen to anyone.
• Kneecap fractures or dislocations: Your kneecap is a bone, which means you can break it or dislocate it. This is an acute injury that usually happens because of a fall or injury.

Hip pain causes

Hip pain can come from bone, muscle or joint problems. We work with you to find what’s wrong and help you move with less pain.

• Hip arthritis: Arthritis in the hip joint can wear away the cartilage and cause pain, stiffness and trouble walking. This is most often osteoarthritis, though rheumatoid arthritis can also affect your hip joints.
• Labral tear: The labrum is the ring of cartilage that cushions your hip joint. If you tear it, it can cause pain in your hip.
• Femoral acetabular impingement (FAI): FAI happens because your hip bone isn’t shaped as it should be. Hip impingement can make exercise painful and can lead to labral tears and cartilage damage.
• Osteonecrosis: Also called avascular necrosis, osteonecrosis is when the bone tissue in your hip loses blood flow and starts to break down.
• Hip fractures: Broken hip bones happen most often to older people after a fall. Hip fractures are often related to osteoporosis, which weakens bones and makes them brittle.
• Muscle strains: Overusing the muscles around your hip, like your hip flexor (the front of your hip) or groin, can cause a painful strain.
• Hip bursitis: Inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion your hip joint can cause pain.

Our team of orthopaedic and sports medicine doctors treats each person as an individual. We learn about your symptoms, your history and your goals.

Non-surgical hip and knee pain treatments

Most mild hip and knee pain will go away on its own with care at home. Rest the joint, ice the area that hurts to bring down swelling, and take ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve). 

If these don’t help, talk to a doctor about your pain. When you see an orthopaedic or sports medicine specialist at Carilion, we may order imaging to try to learn what’s going on. Based on your symptoms and exam, we may prescribe:

• Lifestyle changes: We can talk to you about habits or activities that might be making your pain worse and what to try instead. Discussions can include weight management, exercise and nutrition.
• Medicine: For joint pain, we may prescribe stronger anti-inflammatories or other medicines that help manage pain.
• Pain injections: Steroid injections can help with joint pain from conditions like arthritis and hip labral tears and impingement. These injections can give people time to think about whether surgery is a good option for them.
• Physical therapy (PT): PT can help stretch and strengthen muscles that help stabilize joints. For some injuries, PT and medicine can help you get back to full activity.
• Bracing: Bracing can help provide support and stability, especially for knees. Some braces can help shift weight away from the part of the knee that hurts.

Surgery for hip and knee conditions

Not everyone needs surgery for knee or hip pain. Many knee and hip conditions can heal without surgery. 

Most people considering surgery, especially joint replacement surgery, have tried other things without relief. For conditions like hip and knee arthritis, the pain is keeping them from the activities they love. 

Your doctor will talk to you about what surgery might be right for you. Our specialists have expertise in a wide range of hip and knee surgeries, including: 

• Knee arthroscopy: Arthroscopy uses a tiny camera to look inside your knee joint and see if you have knee damage. We can also use this approach to repair certain conditions, like meniscus tears.
• Knee replacement surgery: Knee replacement surgery uses an artificial joint to help restore your knee function. We do both partial and total knee replacements, as well as joint revision surgeries.
• Hip replacement surgery: Hip replacement surgery uses an artificial hip joint to help you be able to move and walk without pain. We offer the latest, minimally invasive techniques for hip replacement, including the anterior (front) approach.
• Hip preservation surgeries: Certain minimally invasive surgeries can help younger people, especially athletes, preserve their hip joint. We can treat labral tears, impingement, dysplasia and other hip problems that cause pain.