When should I see a doctor for hip pain?

October 13, 2015

Dr Andrew Dutton shares what to expect when seeing the doctor for hip pain


When should I see a doctor for hip pain?

 

If we look at the two demographics - for the elderly, especially after a fall, the incidence of hip injuries is higher and I would recommend they see a doctor early if they're developing hip pain, Dr Dutton says.

“For the younger patient, often after a sports injury we recommend rest, ice, and maybe take some panadol or some short course of anti-inflammatory,” he says. “If it continues after two or three days, then it's probably worthwhile getting a check up by a doctor.”

On seeing a doctor, the doctor will ask about the mechanism of injury. If you can remember what the mechanism of injury was, they'll often ask what sort of sports you play and how active you are. We recommend bringing in any regular medications you may be taking so that we know what you’re on, as we don't want to prescribe anything that can interact with those medications.

We will then examine the patient with a full physical examination. For the assessment of the hip there are two main radiographic investigations that we use. One is just the plain x-ray and for the elderly usually that's sufficient. From that you can see either fractures or arthritis of the hip. For younger patients, who may have more subtle injuries such as muscle tears or ligament tears, then an MRI scan would be more suitable to pick those injuries up.

Dr Andrew Quoc Dutton is a USA fellowship-trained consultant orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty interests in keyhole and sports surgery, knee and hip replacements, cartilage regeneration and stem cell therapeutics in orthopaedics. He is in private practice at SMG Orthopaedics and can be contacted at +65 6887 5000.

Related Articles

What if your child has joint pain?

Arthritis can significantly affect the life of young children if it is not treated early, according to Dr Cham Weng Tarng from Sunway Medical Centre

Read more

What causes back pain?

Dr Benjamin Tow discusses the most common causes of acute and chronic back pain

Read more

What are the common causes of knee pain?

Dr Andrew Dutton explains some of the reasons why individuals experience knee pain

Read more

Latest Articles

Medical Care

Achieving Swift Recovery: Enhanced Recovery (ERAS) Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Replacement

Consider total hip replacement with Alps Orthopaedic Centre's ERAS Direct Anterior Approach for faster recovery and reduced hospital stays. Learn about Dr. Jerry Chen's expertise in Singapore.

Read more
Medical Care

Enhanced Recovery (ERAS) Total Knee Replacement

Discover how Alps Orthopaedic Centre's Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) approach transforms total knee replacement into a day surgery, offering faster recovery, less pain, and reduced hospital bills. Learn about Dr. Jerry Chen's expertise and schedule your appointment in Singapore.

Read more
Medical Care

Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP): The Emerging of Exercise is Medicine

How Exercising can be a Medicine

Read more
Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2015 - 2020. All rights reserved.