Pattern screener · no account
Four questions map your pattern in under a minute. No account. See what is likely going on before you see a surgeon, then take it to your own clinician.
Already know it's surgical? Connect with SurgeonValue →
Sample · tap a place on the hip
Pain with sitting, getting in a car, or putting on shoes
Location is the most useful single clue. It is not a diagnosis; your own clinician decides.
Two things to do in about five minutes each. Both run on this device; nothing is sent. Emergency signs are listed first on both pages.
Four questions. Your pattern routes you to the right next step — PT, surgeon, or home care.
What is sent: when you finish, your answers (pain location, weight-bearing, morning stiffness, age range and the symptoms you tick) go to our server, which matches them to a pattern. No outside AI model reads them today. No name, email or account is asked for. Patient information, not medical advice.
Check anything that applies to you right now.
The motion that brings on your pain points to the structure behind it. Mirror each cue, then tap the one that reproduces it most clearly.
Hip pain is not one diagnosis. The location and character of your pain are the most useful diagnostic clues.
Deep groin pain
Weight-bearing, morning stiffness, over age 50
Cartilage wear that develops gradually. The hip socket loses its smooth gliding surface. Pain typically worsens with loading — walking, stairs, getting out of a car. X-ray confirms the degree of joint space narrowing.
About 1 in 4 people develop symptomatic hip osteoarthritis by age 85 (Murphy 2010, Johnston County study)
Orthopedic surgeon →Outer hip / lateral thigh
Worse lying on the side, climbing stairs, hip abduction
Inflammation of the fluid sac over the bony prominence of the outer hip. Common in runners, walkers, and middle-aged women. Does not typically cause groin pain. Many cases improve with exercise-based physical therapy.
PT is a usual first step for outer-hip pain; ask a clinician whether an injection fits you
What HSA/FSA can pay for →Deep groin or anterior hip
Clicking, catching, or locking — often in active adults under 50
A tear in the fibrocartilage ring around the socket. Often caused by hip impingement (FAI) or sports-related stress. MR arthrography is the usual imaging test, read alongside the exam. PT is a common first step; arthroscopy is considered if that is not enough.
MR arthrography finds about 87–89% of labral tears in pooled studies, and tears also show up in people with no pain (Huang 2023; Zhang 2022)
Orthopedic evaluation →Posterior hip / buttock / leg
Pain travels down the leg, may follow a dermatomal pattern
The lumbar spine and hip share nerve pathways that make referral common and confusing. L3-L4 nerve root irritation mimics hip OA. A physical therapist can perform provocation tests — FABER, FADIR — to distinguish hip from spine.
Hip and back problems overlap; groin pain, a limp and limited hip rotation point to the hip (Brown 2004)
Check your back first →Treatment is matched to severity, not chosen arbitrarily. Knowing what each path delivers — and when it applies — is the most useful thing to know before your first appointment.
2024 AAOS guideline: PT can be considered (moderate recommendation)
Paying for PT with HSA/FSA2024 AAOS guideline: may help short term (moderate recommendation)
Ask a question about injections2024 AAOS guideline: hyaluronic acid injections, strong recommendation against
See a surgeonTreatment decisions require individual clinical evaluation. This comparison is educational, not prescriptive. Always discuss options with a qualified healthcare provider.
A short form of the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-12), a questionnaire used in hip research and care. 12 questions, three subscales, one number that means something.
0 of 12 answered. Your score appears when all 12 are done. It is worked out in your browser; nothing is sent.
pain
How often is your hip painful?
Pain straightening your hip fully
Pain walking on a flat surface
Pain at night while in bed
function
Difficulty descending stairs
Difficulty rising from sitting
Difficulty putting on socks/stockings
Difficulty getting in/out of a car
Quality of Life
How often are you aware of your hip problem?
Have you modified your lifestyle to avoid hip-damaging activity?
How troubled are you by lack of confidence in your hip?
In general, how much difficulty do you have with your hip?
HOOS-12 © Klassbo, Larsson, Mannevik 2003. This widget is for education, not diagnosis, and is not medical advice. Subscale scoring follows the published HOOS user guide (0 = extreme problems, 100 = no problems).
Orthopedic surgeons may use a HOOS-12 score alongside the exam and imaging. The score runs from 0 to 100, where 100 means no problems. No published cut-off turns it into a severity label, and a score is not a diagnosis.
450,000+
total hip replacements a year in the US
AHRQ, via AAOS OrthoInfo, Total Hip Replacement
about 16 to 28 pts
smallest HOOS-12 gain patients rated meaningful after hip replacement
Soh SE et al., JBJS Am 2022;104:980-7 (registry study, 6 months after surgery)
What surgeons evaluate beyond your HOOS score
Sources: AHRQ via AAOS OrthoInfo; Soh SE et al., JBJS Am 2022.
See orthopedic surgeons near youA HOOS score is one input among many in surgical decision-making. Only a surgeon with access to your imaging, history, and physical examination can determine whether surgery is appropriate for you.
Ask anything about hip pain in plain language, and get routed to the right next step.
Your question is sent to an AI assistant run by SolvingHealth, which answers from this page's content. Leave out your name and anything that identifies you.
Emergency signs first. Call 911 now if:
After a fall, there is pain in the groin or upper thigh and the person cannot stand or put weight on the leg (possible broken hip)
Call 911Get seen today, at your doctor, urgent care or an ER, if
These patterns warrant prompt evaluation — do not wait for them to resolve on their own.
Hip pain that wakes you from sleep
Inability to bear weight on the affected leg
Sudden swelling, warmth, or redness around the hip
Hip pain after a fall, especially if over age 65
Groin pain that doesn't improve with rest
Progressive limping or shortening of the affected leg
Fever accompanying hip or joint pain
Numbness or tingling radiating down the leg
Your pattern determines the path — PT, surgeon, or home care.
Groin pain · weight-bearing · over 50
Connect with a surgeon who uses structured outcome tools — not just X-ray findings — to decide whether surgery is warranted.
SurgeonValue →Kept on your own device
Keep visit sheets, receipts and cards together in one family file on your own device. No account.
ComfortCard →Post-replacement recovery · older adults
Worker-owned companion care. When a physician signs a letter of medical necessity for your case, it documents the need for care that may qualify under IRS rules.
co-op.care →Evidence-based articles for patients who want to understand more.
Not all hip pain is equal. Most hip pain is musculoskeletal and can be managed with rest, physical therapy, and time. But certain presentations require urgent evaluation.
Seek emergency care immediately for: hip pain after a fall in a person over 65, especially with inability to bear weight (possible hip fracture); sudden severe pain with fever or chills (possible septic arthritis — a joint infection that destroys cartilage within hours and requires emergency surgery); hip pain with a known cancer history (possible metastatic disease); and any loss of bladder or bowel control accompanying back or hip pain (cauda equina syndrome — a surgical emergency).
See your doctor within 1–2 days for: a hip that clicks, locks, or gives way; progressive limping that has developed over weeks; hip pain waking you consistently at night; or pain that was mild and has become severe without explanation.
"Red flag" symptoms that warrant same-week evaluation include unexplained weight loss with hip pain, fever of any degree, or pain in a child or teenager — avascular necrosis and Legg-Calve-Perthes disease require early recognition in young patients.
Source: AAOS OrthoInfo; NHS Hip Pain Guidelines; BMJ Clinical Review 2023.
Real questions patients ask about hip pain. General education, not medical advice.
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
General education, not medical advice
Check the sources linked here, and confirm anything important with your own clinician.
Medical disclaimer: The information on this website is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It does not replace a consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately. Always consult your physician or another qualified health provider with questions about a medical condition or before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.
Physical therapy from a licensed therapist is medical care your HSA or FSA can generally pay for. Supplies, seating, mobility aids and home care may qualify case by case, some only with a physician's Letter of Medical Necessity, and your plan administrator decides. No email gate. No account lock-in.
Eligibility follows IRS Publication 502, case by case; your plan administrator makes the final call. Not tax advice.
Same approach, different question. Each one is a real site, not a landing page.