15/06/2026
Pain on the SIDE of your hip is one of the most common things I see and one of the most misunderstood.
It hurts lying on that side, walking up hills, after a long walk. Tender right over the bony point of your hip. Most people assume it's arthritis and start fearing a hip replacement.
It's not arthritis. The joint itself is fine. It's usually trochanteric bursitis, irritation of the bursa and tendons on the OUTSIDE of the hip, often driven by a tight iliotibial (IT) band.
So here's what I tell my patients: let's see if physio can stretch out that IT band first. For most people, that works, no surgeon needed.
If months of good physio don't settle it, we don't just keep guessing. We get an MRI and reassess. Sometimes there's a gluteal tendon tear that needs repair, along with surgically lengthening the IT band. But that's the last step, not the first.
True hip arthritis is a different story altogether: a deep ache in the GROIN with stiffness reaching your foot. That's the one that occasionally ends in a replacement.
I'm a hip surgeon, and most side-of-hip pain I see needs a physio, not me. Physio first. Surgery only if it fails.
đź“Ť Side of hip = physio first (stretch that IT band)
đź“Ť Still sore after physio = MRI + reassess
📍 Groin = the joint → get assessed properly
Save this for someone who's convinced they need a new hip.
