There are so many causes of hip pain, from bursitis to strained muscles to cancer to multiple sclerosis.
One of the most common causes of hip pain is that of bone-on-bone contact due to osteoarthritis: the wearing down of the shock-absorbing cartilage between the bones.
Another cause of pain in the hips is a metastasis of cancer, such as breast and prostate.
Multiple Sclerosis As a Cause for Hip Pain
MS is not exempt from the list of all the conditions that can generate pain in the hips.
However, the question is if pain from multiple sclerosis feels different from more common causes of pain in this joint area.
Does it have a unique sensation – when compared to other causes of hip pain such as rheumatoid arthritis, a pinched nerve and a bone infection?
“Hip pain related to MS does not necessarily feel different from hip pain related to other causes,” says Mitzi J. Williams, MD, clinical neurologist with Morehouse School of Medicine, an MS specialist and clinical advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
“MS does not directly affect the joints, so the pain that people experience can be related to spasticity of the muscles near the hip joint or related to the way that they walk because of weakness or imbalance from their MS,” explains Dr. Williams.
Multiple sclerosis. BruceBlaus, CC BY-SA 4.0/creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Wikimedia Commons
Spasticity is a common result of multiple sclerosis, which is an autoimmune disease (the body attacks its own tissue).
Spasticity is when the muscles are in a continuous state of contraction. This leads to stiffness and tightness which can then generate discomfort.
“Essentially when they walk unevenly or have poor posture due to weakness, they compensate on the stronger side, resulting in increased stress on the hip — and pain,” says Dr. Williams.
There’s also always the possibility that a person with MS can have hip pain from an entirely unrelated cause.
Dr. Williams is author of “MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis.” She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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