Symptoms
How it tends to show up
Deep pain in the groin, front of the hip, or buttock; stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting; reduced range turning, squatting, or putting on shoes and socks; aching after activity; sometimes a limp or a sense the hip "catches."
How Common
You're not alone in this
Hip osteoarthritis is one of the most common reasons people develop persistent hip and groin pain as they age. Osteoarthritis as a whole affects a large share of the population — global estimates put it at roughly 7 to 8% of people worldwide across all joints — and the hip is one of the major weight-bearing joints involved. What I want you to hold onto is this: the picture on an X-ray doesn't decide how you feel or what you can do. Many people with changes visible on imaging have little or no pain, and many with pain stay active for years. This is a well-understood, well-studied condition — not a rare mystery — and the large majority of people manage it well over the long term without ever needing surgery.
The Root
Why it keeps coming back
Arthritic hips are sensitive to how they're loaded. When the muscles around the hip aren't supporting and centering the joint well, it absorbs uneven, excessive load and flares. You can't undo the wear, but you can change the load — and that's usually what determines how much pain and stiffness you actually live with.
Who Gets It
Common risk factors
- Age over 55
- Being female, especially after menopause
- Carrying extra body weight (more load per step)
- A previous hip injury, fracture, or fall
- Years of high-impact sport or heavy occupational loading
- Anatomical differences in how the hip is shaped
- Weak or 'switched-off' hip and gluteal muscles
- Family history of osteoarthritis
Look-Alikes
Is it Osteoarthritis of the Hip, or something else?
Several other problems can mimic this, and they're managed differently — so part of the assessment is telling them apart.
Wondering if this is what's going on — and what care would look like?
Book an Assessment →The Approach
How Dr. Imada approaches it
Using Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT), I restore the hip and pelvic muscles that support the joint, so it's loaded more evenly and moves better. Chiropractic care and Foundation Training improve mobility and strength around the hip. The goal is meaningful relief and function — honest about what conservative care can and can't change, and coordinating with your physician about options like joint replacement when the time comes.
Getting Answers
How it's assessed
Clinically, hip osteoarthritis tends to show a recognizable pattern: groin or front-of-hip pain that is worse with activity and eases with rest, morning stiffness that loosens within about 30 minutes, and limited range of motion — often the first thing Dr. Imada notices is reduced internal rotation. Diagnosis combines your history, a hands-on exam, and when needed an X-ray, which can show joint-space narrowing, bone spurs, and hardening of the bone. But here is the part worth hearing: the amount of wear on a film often doesn't match how much pain or stiffness a person has. So a whole-person assessment looks past the joint itself — at whether the gluteals and deep hip stabilizers have switched off, and whether load from the low back, pelvis, or opposite leg is quietly overloading that hip. The goal is to find why the joint is irritated, not just confirm that it is — and to refer on for imaging or a specialist opinion when the picture calls for it.
Your Visit
What to expect
An assessment of the hip and how you load it; realistic goals for pain and function; hands-on care plus a strength and mobility plan; and straightforward guidance about medical options if conservative care isn't enough.
At Home
What you can do yourself
- Keep moving with low-impact activity like swimming, cycling, or walking
- Work toward a healthy body weight to reduce load per step
- Use heat before activity and cold after a flare
- Stand and change positions often instead of sitting locked for hours
- Strengthen the glutes and hip stabilizers gently and consistently
- Use a cane or trekking pole on long days if a joint is irritated
These home strategies help you manage symptoms day to day, and they work best alongside care that restores how the hip actually moves and loads — not as a replacement for it.
Outlook
Recovery & realistic timelines
Let's be honest about what to expect: osteoarthritis is a long-term condition, and cartilage can't simply be regrown, so no one can promise a cure. But that is very different from saying nothing helps. Across the research, exercise therapy consistently reduces pain and improves function in hip OA — the effects on any single measure are modest but real, and they tend to hold up better over time when people keep the work going with periodic "booster" sessions. What Dr. Imada consistently sees clinically is that when the muscles that have switched off are reawakened and load is taken off the joint, many people move and feel meaningfully better within weeks to a few months. The aim is to keep you active and comfortable, support the joint where we can, and help you stay ahead of it — for years.
Staying Ahead
Keeping it from coming back
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Build and keep hip and glute strength
- Vary activity and avoid repetitive high-impact pounding
- Address old injuries and limps early
- Keep the hip moving through its full range
- Don't ignore one-sided weakness or stiffness
Related
Related conditions
FAQ
Common questions
Does arthritis on my X-ray mean I'll need a hip replacement?
Not necessarily. Many people with osteoarthritis visible on imaging have little or no pain, and the majority manage well for years with conservative care. Surgery is reserved for severe cases when other approaches no longer help — and that decision belongs with an orthopedic surgeon.
Is it safe to exercise with hip osteoarthritis?
Yes — in fact, appropriate exercise is one of the best-supported things you can do. The evidence consistently shows it reduces pain and improves function. The key is the right kind and dose, which is part of what we work out together.
Will moving 'wear out' my joint faster?
No. Joints are built to move, and low-impact loading actually helps nourish cartilage and keep surrounding muscles strong. Sitting still tends to make stiffness and weakness worse.
Why does my hip hurt in the groin and not where I expected?
True hip joint pain is often felt deep in the groin or front of the hip, sometimes referring to the knee. Outer-hip pain is more often bursitis or tendon-related — which is why pinning down the source matters.
Can chiropractic care cure my arthritis?
No one can cure osteoarthritis — and I'd be cautious of anyone who claims to. What Dr. Imada can do is help the hip move better, restore the muscles that have switched off, and reduce the load driving your pain.
Do I need injections or medication?
Some people benefit from them, but those are outside Dr. Imada's scope — he doesn't perform injections. If it looks like you'd benefit, he co-manages with or refers you to a physician while continuing to work on movement and load.
How is this different from just 'getting old'?
Age is a risk factor, but plenty of older adults have pain-free hips. Pain usually reflects something changeable — weak stabilizers, poor load distribution — which is exactly what we target.
What if my pain came on suddenly after a fall?
Sudden severe pain or trouble bearing weight after a fall needs prompt medical imaging to rule out a fracture. That's a case where Dr. Imada would refer you to a physician first.
Will losing weight really make a difference?
It can meaningfully reduce the load your hip carries with every step, which often translates to less pain. Even modest changes add up over a day of walking.
Dr. Imada is trained in Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT), the CHEK Institute holistic lifestyle program, Foundation Training, and Nasal Specific — care that looks at the whole person, not just the spot that hurts.
This page is for education and is not a substitute for in-person diagnosis or treatment. Care described reflects Dr. Imada's clinical experience and current literature; individual results vary.