Non-surgical hip care comes first
Can hip pain be treated without surgery?
Yes, most hip pain can be treated without surgery. Physical therapy that strengthens the glutes and core, short courses of anti-inflammatory medicine, activity changes and weight management help most patients with tendinopathy, labral tears and early arthritis. Surgery is usually considered only when pain still limits daily life after a few months of good non-surgical care.
Most hip pain improves without an operation, and every plan here starts there. Dr. Stride is a surgeon who would rather not operate when a hip can get better another way. For gluteal tendon pain, many labral tears and mild to moderate arthritis, a focused plan of exercise, activity changes and careful medication use is often all it takes. When surgery does become the right answer, that groundwork makes recovery faster.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Stride, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeonLast reviewed October 2026
What this includes
Hip Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps many types of hip pain, including arthritis, gluteal tendinopathy, hip impingement and many labral tears.
Read more →Non-surgicalHip Pain Medication
For hip arthritis, oral anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or prescription meloxicam usually help most, when they are safe for you.
Read more →Non-surgicalHip Activity & Weight Plan
An activity and weight plan can meaningfully reduce hip pain, especially from arthritis.
Read more →Hip pain these treatments help
Pain in the Front of the Hip and Groin
Front of hip and groin pain usually comes from inside the hip joint itself.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · Outside of hipPain on the Outside of the Hip
Pain on the outside of the hip is most often greater trochanteric pain syndrome, an irritation of the gluteus medius and minimus tendons and the bursa over the bony point of the hip.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · Back of hipPain in the Back of the Hip and Buttock
Pain in the back of the hip and buttock most often comes from the lower back, such as a pinched nerve or sciatica, or from the sacroiliac joint.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomIs It Your Hip or Your Back?
Hip joint pain is usually felt in the groin or front of the thigh and flares with putting on socks or getting out of a car.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Clicking, Popping and Snapping
Hip clicking or snapping, called snapping hip syndrome or coxa saltans, usually comes from a tendon sliding over bone.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Stiffness and Loss of Motion
A stiff hip is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which reduces rotation and makes socks, shoes and getting out of a car harder.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Pain at Night
Hip pain at night is most often caused by greater trochanteric pain syndrome, where lying on the side compresses the gluteal tendons, or by hip osteoarthritis, which can ache at rest as it advances.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomHip Pain When Walking
Hip pain when walking is most often caused by hip osteoarthritis, which brings a groin ache and a limp, or by gluteal tendinopathy, which causes outer hip pain.
Causes & treatment →Hip pain · symptomPain After Hip Replacement
Pain after hip replacement is normal for the first several weeks and usually fades steadily over about 3 months.
Causes & treatment →