Some people believe the onset of arthritis is a natural part of aging. Not true -- in fact, some younger people develop the condition, while some elders are never troubled by it. It is an actual disease -- not just a matter of deterioration. It can be managed with medication in mild cases.
Conditions that Mimic Arthritis
Arthritis isn’t the only disease that can cause pain in the hip area. There are several conditions that can cause pain to radiate to the hips.
These include:
- Spinal stenosis -- An arthritic condition of the lower back, it can cause pain to radiate into the buttocks or lower back area and the backs of the upper thigh. The condition is actually a lower back problem rather than a hip problem, although many consider the buttocks to be a part of the hip area.
- Greater trochanteric bursitis - This is pain in the part of the hip that’s considered the point, the part that touches the ground when laying on your side. Symptoms include extreme sensitivity to pressure in the area. It is related to inflammation in the bursa sac, a lubrication area that lays outside the joint and is not part of the actual hip.
- Other problems - There are other conditions that cause pain in the hip area that are not related to the joint itself. These include hernias, ovarian cysts and other pelvic conditions.