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Your hip and lower back are interdependent structures. A malfunction in one of these structures might result in dysfunction and pain in the other.
When you have chronic lower back pain, your hip movements may be limited, and the muscles surrounding your hip joint may become stiff and uncomfortable.
If your hip function is abnormal, the mechanics of your lower back may be affected, causing pain in both areas.
Many muscle groups are shared by the lower back and hip. When one muscle is injured, it might cause compensatory motions, tiredness, and discomfort in the neighbouring muscles.
Continue reading to learn how lower back and hip discomfort can coexist. While some problems affect only one side of your lower back and hip, others might produce pain on both sides.
Sharp pain in one side’s lower back and hip
Muscle spasm, joint dysfunction, and/or nerve compression in the region may cause a shooting and acute pain on one side of your lower back and hip. The following are some of the most common conditions that produce this type of pain.
Piriformis Syndrome
A piriformis muscle spasm deep in the buttocks may cause :
Pain in the lower back, hips, and buttocks that ranges from moderate to severe
Pain that radiates towards the back of the thigh
Inability to sit for an extended period of time
The discomfort is usually felt on one side and is aggravated by hip motions, such as getting out of bed.
Piriformis syndrome is typically caused by overactivity of the hip rotator muscles (which help rotate the hip inward or laterally) or prolonged sitting on hard surfaces. This pain could also be caused by a buttock injury.
Dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint
Inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, which links your lower spine to your pelvis, can cause :
Sharp, stabbing pain felt right across the lower back, hip, and buttocks
Pain that may extend down the back of your leg but does not usually extend below the knee.
Certain positions or activities, such as standing to sitting, climbing stairs, or laying on the afflicted side, may cause your discomfort to flare up.
Because of arthritis, trauma, or repetitive stress inside the joint, the sacroiliac joint can cause lower back, hip, and buttock pain. Due to hormonal and physical changes during pregnancy, this joint is also a typical source of pain in pregnant women.
While sacroiliac joint discomfort is more common on one side, it can affect both sides of the lower back and hip.
The symptoms of piriformis syndrome and sacroiliac joint dysfunction might be mistaken for lumbar radiculopathy, sometimes known as sciatica.
Lower back and hip ache and stiffness
Pain in the lower back and hip can be accompanied with stiffness. This symptom is usually a body’s defence response to prevent further harm in the area. Stiffness caused by discomfort can be debilitating, reducing function in the back, hip, and leg significantly. Here are a few frequent illnesses that can cause these symptoms to coexist.
Hamstring strain
Tightness in your hamstrings as a result of a strain injury may change your spine’s biomechanics.
Tight hamstrings are shorter in length, which can impact the curvature of your lower spine and disrupt the alignment of your lower back and hip. You might feel stiffness in your lower back, with or without pain.
When you bend your spine forward, the stiffness is usually more evident. Some people walk with their legs rigid to avoid bending their hip and knee joints.
Hip osteoarthritis (OA)
Hip osteoarthritis (age-related deterioration of the hip joint) can cause lower back discomfort and hip stiffness.
Hip osteoarthritis produces stiffness and a considerable reduction in the range of motion of the hip. This alteration might cause the hip to lean forward, altering the lower spine’s curvature. The lower spine’s inward curvature (lordosis) may grow more prominent, causing the lower spinal discs to expand or herniate.
This illness may induce degeneration of the spinal joints as well, resulting in a more severe disorder known as hip-spine syndrome.
Summary –
This list may not include every conceivable cause of lower back and hip pain. If you have pain and/or stiffness in your lower back and hip that does not go away with self-care and is interfering with your everyday activities, consult your doctor. A doctor can precisely diagnose the source of your lower back pain and develop a treatment plan to address the underlying ailment.
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