Hip Pain After a Car Accident: Common Hip Injuries and When to Seek Care

Hip pain may not be the first injury you think about after a car accident. Neck pain, whiplash, and back injuries often receive more attention, but the force of a motor vehicle collision can also injure the hip joint, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and surrounding soft tissues.

Some hip injuries cause immediate pain. Others may become more noticeable hours or days after the collision.

At Eastside Medical Group in Cleveland, Ohio, we evaluate and treat car accident and personal injury patients experiencing hip pain, stiffness, weakness, difficulty walking, reduced range of motion, and other accident-related symptoms.

If your hip hurts after a crash, getting evaluated can help determine what’s causing the pain and whether treatment, rehabilitation, or diagnostic testing may be appropriate.

How Can a Car Accident Injure Your Hip?

During a collision, your lower body may experience sudden impact, twisting, compression, or rapid changes in direction.

Your hip may be injured when:

• Your knee strikes the dashboard
• Your hip hits the door or center console
• Your pelvis is forced against the seat
• Your legs brace for impact
• Your lower body twists suddenly
• The seat belt places force across the pelvis
• Your body moves abruptly during a side-impact collision

These forces can affect both the hip joint itself and the muscles and other soft tissues surrounding it.

Common Hip Injuries After a Car Accident

Different types of hip injuries can produce similar symptoms, so an examination is important for determining the possible source of pain.

Hip Contusions

A direct blow to the hip can cause a contusion, or deep bruise, involving the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the joint.

Symptoms may include:

• Tenderness
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Pain while walking
• Pain while sitting
• Discomfort when lying on the injured side

While some contusions improve with time, persistent or severe pain should be evaluated to rule out other injuries.

Hip Muscle Strains

The muscles surrounding the hip help stabilize the pelvis and control movement of the legs.

Sudden stretching or forceful movement during an accident can cause a muscle strain.

Symptoms may include:

• Hip or groin pain
• Muscle tightness
• Weakness
• Pain when lifting the leg
• Difficulty walking
• Reduced flexibility
• Pain with certain movements

Hip flexor strains are one type of muscle injury that may occur following trauma.

Hip Labral Injuries

The hip labrum is cartilage that surrounds the socket of the hip joint and contributes to joint stability.

Sudden twisting or traumatic force may potentially injure the labrum.

Possible symptoms include:

• Deep pain in the hip or groin
• Clicking or catching sensations
• Joint stiffness
• Reduced range of motion
• Pain during certain movements
• Discomfort when standing after sitting

Because these symptoms can overlap with other hip conditions, additional evaluation or imaging may sometimes be necessary.

Hip Bursitis

Small fluid-filled sacs called bursae help reduce friction around joints.

Trauma can irritate these structures and contribute to hip bursitis.

Symptoms may include:

• Pain along the outside of the hip
• Tenderness
• Pain when walking
• Discomfort when lying on the affected side
• Pain with certain hip movements

An examination can help determine whether bursitis or another musculoskeletal injury may be contributing to your symptoms.

Hip Joint Injuries

The hip is a major weight-bearing joint. Sudden compression, twisting, or direct trauma during a collision can potentially injure structures within or surrounding the joint.

Patients may experience:

• Joint pain
• Stiffness
• Reduced mobility
• Pain when bearing weight
• Difficulty climbing stairs
• Difficulty getting into or out of a vehicle
• Pain when standing after prolonged sitting

Hip Fractures and Dislocations

Serious collisions can cause fractures or dislocations involving the hip or pelvis.

These injuries require immediate medical attention.

Warning signs may include:

• Severe hip or groin pain
• Inability to stand or bear weight
• Significant swelling or bruising
• Visible deformity
• Abnormal positioning of the leg

If you suspect a fracture, dislocation, or other serious injury after an accident, seek emergency medical care.

Why Does My Hip Hurt Days After a Car Accident?

Hip pain can sometimes become more noticeable after the initial collision.

Immediately following an accident, you may be focused on other injuries or may not initially recognize soreness and stiffness.

Over the following hours or days, you may notice symptoms such as:

• Increasing hip pain
• Stiffness
• Groin pain
• Limping
• Muscle soreness
• Difficulty walking
• Pain when climbing stairs
• Reduced range of motion
• Clicking or catching
• Pain extending into the thigh

Delayed symptoms should not automatically be assumed to be minor. If new pain or mobility problems develop following a collision, consider having the area evaluated.

Can Hip Pain After a Car Accident Actually Come From Your Back?

Yes. Not every symptom felt around the hip originates within the hip joint.

Injuries involving the lower back, spinal discs, or nerves can sometimes cause pain that travels into the buttock, hip, thigh, or leg.

Sciatica and other nerve-related conditions may cause symptoms such as:

• Radiating pain
• Burning sensations
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Weakness
• Pain extending from the lower back into the hip or leg

Determining whether symptoms originate from the hip, lower back, nerves, or a combination of injuries is one reason a thorough car accident injury evaluation can be helpful.

How Are Hip Injuries Diagnosed After a Car Accident?

Evaluation begins with your accident history and symptoms.

Your Eastside Medical Group provider may ask about:

• How the collision occurred
• Direction of impact
• Whether your hip, knee, or pelvis struck anything
• When the pain began
• Where the pain is located
• Whether you can bear weight normally
• Movements that increase your symptoms
• Numbness or tingling
• Previous hip or lower back problems

The examination may include assessment of range of motion, strength, tenderness, joint function, neurological findings, and functional movement.

Depending on your symptoms and suspected injury, diagnostic imaging or additional evaluation may be recommended.

Do You Need an X-Ray or MRI for Hip Pain After an Accident?

Not every patient with hip pain needs diagnostic imaging.

X-rays may be appropriate when there is concern about fractures, dislocations, bones, or certain joint-related findings.

An MRI may be recommended when additional information about cartilage, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or other soft tissues is needed.

Your provider can determine whether imaging is appropriate based on your accident, symptoms, and examination findings.

How Is Hip Pain Treated After a Car Accident?

Treatment depends on the type and severity of your injury.

At Eastside Medical Group, an individualized car accident injury treatment plan may incorporate:

• Medical evaluation and management
• Medically directed physical rehabilitation
• Therapeutic exercise
• Mobility and strengthening exercises
• Chiropractic care when appropriate
• Diagnostic testing or imaging when indicated
• Referral for advanced imaging
• Referral for additional specialty evaluation when necessary

Treatment can be modified as your pain, mobility, strength, and function change during recovery.

Physical Rehabilitation for Hip Injuries

An injured hip can affect much more than the joint itself.

Pain and restricted movement can change the way you walk, stand, sit, climb stairs, or move throughout the day.

Medically directed physical rehabilitation may focus on:

• Improving hip range of motion
• Restoring flexibility
• Strengthening supporting muscles
• Improving stability
• Addressing weakness
• Improving balance and coordination
• Restoring functional movement
• Improving walking mechanics
• Helping you return to everyday activities

Your rehabilitation program should be based on your specific injury rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

When Should You Get Hip Pain Checked After a Car Accident?

Consider scheduling an evaluation if you develop persistent or worsening:

• Hip or groin pain
• Difficulty walking
• Limping
• Joint stiffness
• Weakness
• Reduced range of motion
• Pain when bearing weight
• Clicking or catching
• Numbness or tingling
• Pain traveling into the thigh or leg

Seek immediate medical attention for severe symptoms such as inability to bear weight, visible deformity, significant trauma, or other signs of a potentially serious injury.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Injuries After Car Accidents

Can a car accident cause hip pain?

Yes. A collision can injure muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, joints, and other structures around the hip. Pain may also sometimes originate from an injury involving the lower back or nerves.

Can hitting your knee on the dashboard cause hip pain?

Potentially. Force traveling through the leg during impact may affect the knee, hip, or surrounding structures. Persistent pain after striking the dashboard should be evaluated.

Can hip pain start days after a car accident?

Some musculoskeletal symptoms may become more noticeable after the collision. New or worsening hip pain, stiffness, weakness, or difficulty walking after an accident should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

Can a car accident cause a hip labral tear?

Traumatic twisting or force may potentially injure structures within the hip, including the labrum. Examination and appropriate diagnostic imaging may be necessary to determine the cause of symptoms.

Can physical rehabilitation help hip pain after a car accident?

Physical rehabilitation may be appropriate for certain hip injuries and can focus on restoring mobility, strength, flexibility, stability, and functional movement.

Where can I get treatment for hip pain after a car accident in Cleveland?

Eastside Medical Group in Cleveland, Ohio, evaluates and treats car accident and personal injury patients experiencing hip pain, joint stiffness, muscle injuries, mobility limitations, and other accident-related musculoskeletal symptoms.

Get Hip Pain Evaluated After a Car Accident in Cleveland

Don’t ignore persistent hip pain, stiffness, weakness, or difficulty walking after a collision.

At Eastside Medical Group in Cleveland, Ohio, we focus on evaluating and treating injuries related to car accidents and personal injury cases. Our integrated approach can include medical evaluation, diagnostic testing, chiropractic care when appropriate, and medically directed physical rehabilitation based on your specific injuries.

Schedule Your Car Accident Injury Evaluation Today

If you’re experiencing hip pain after a car accident in Cleveland, contact Eastside Medical Group to schedule an evaluation. Our team can assess your symptoms, determine whether additional diagnostic testing may be appropriate, and develop an individualized treatment and rehabilitation plan.

Same-day appointments may be available for new and existing patients. Contact Eastside Medical Group today to get started.