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I have had bursitis in my knee Previously. 6 weeks ago I suddenly got pain at the very top of my leg where it joins the buttock. I was given codeine by my gp and he also ordered an X-ray (receptionist told me it said I have mild arthritis in hip according to X-ray). I could hardly walk and it felt as if my leg was two inches shorter and I was wobbling from side to side as I walked. Downhill or down stairs hurt more than uphill / upstairs. It’s just now getting better. ( I also have lymphoedema in my other leg and it’s important I keep moving).Initially I tried rest and ice packs for several days but no difference. I play golf because it’s exercise I can do with lymphoedema but it has been really painful.

Hip joint pain is felt in the groin or front of the thigh, never in the buttock or back of the leg so whether or not you have minor osteoarthritis in the hip, this is not the cause of your pain. Get some help from a physiotherapist or osteopath as it sounds as though it could be like mucular or mechanical pain which doctors are not very good at managing. See our website for more advice on self-management and go back to your doctor if things don't settle down.

Dr Wendy Holden
Consultant Rheumatologist and Medical Advisor to Arthritis Action.
https://www.arthritisaction.org.uk/

020 3781 7120

It may be worth getting a second opinion from an osteopath or physiotherapist as Dr Holden suggests. You can find your local osteopath here: https://members.iosteopathy.org/find-an-osteopath

Dear Lacemaker
I agree with the comments from both Dr Holden and Matthew Rogers. It would appear to be unlikely that your "buttock" pain is related to your hip joint. Your GP would be able to refer you to a musculoskeletal physiotherapist who can assess you in detail, prescribe suitable exercises for pain relief and self-management, and perform joint mobilisataions, soft tissue treatment if required, and other pain-relieving modalities.