@dr..shachi.patel: Most women I see for hip pain expect me to say "it's arthritis" or "it's just age." A lot of the time, it's neither. After nearly two decades treating chronic pain, here's what that hip pain usually turns out to be. 👉 Gluteal tendinopathy. Pain on the outer hip, right where you'd rest your hand on your pocket. It hurts lying on that side at night or standing after sitting. For decades this was called "bursitis," but in most cases the real problem is the gluteal tendons breaking down. About 1 in 4 women over 50 deal with this. 👉 SI joint dysfunction. Where your spine meets your pelvis. It causes deep pain in one side of the low back or buttock that people swear is their hip. It's more common in women, especially after pregnancy or during menopause. 👉 Referred pain from your spine. A problem in the lower back can send pain straight to the hip and buttock. Treating the hip does nothing. 👉 Piriformis and deep gluteal issues. A tight muscle deep in the buttock irritates the sciatic nerve and refers pain into the hip and down the leg. Here's what changes everything: Arthritis pain usually sits in the groin or deep in the front of the hip. Tendon pain sits on the outer side. SI joint pain sits in the back, near the top of the buttock. Where it hurts tells us where to look. Most of these have nothing to do with age. When the cause gets labeled "arthritis" or "old age," the plan becomes "live with it." But gluteal tendinopathy responds to targeted strength work, not rest. SI joint pain responds to stabilizing the joint. Referred pain responds to treating the spine. The label decides the treatment. The wrong label means years of the wrong treatment. Where does your hip pain sit? Outer side, groin, or back near the buttock? Tell me below. Not medical advice. For pain that's severe, sudden, or comes with fever or trouble bearing weight, get evaluated in person. #hippain #womenshealth #chronicpain #painmanagement #menopause #womenover40 #hiparthritis

Dr. Shachi Patel, MD

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Region: US

Tuesday 06 October 2026 16:20:32 GMT