When to See a Pain Specialist for Persistent Hip Pain

There are many conditions and causes of hip pain. Surgeries, injuries, medical conditions, and age can all contribute to or worsen hip pain symptoms. If you’re suffering from hip pain that won’t go away, you may be wondering when to see a pain specialist for persistent hip pain—and you may be asking yourself, “How do I find the right pain specialist near me?” Fortunately, our Texas pain specialists in San Antonio are here to tell you about your options when it comes to hip pain treatment and chronic pain management.

Treating Your Hip Pain at Home

If your hip pain is minor, you may be able to treat your symptoms at home without consulting a doctor. Some at-home remedies for hip pain include:

• Over the counter pain medications: Medications like Tylenol, Advil, or Aleve can help you manage mild hip pains and can also help with inflammation.
• Compression: For some hip pain sufferers, applying thick bandages and compressing the hip can alleviate pain.
• Applying heat or cold: Ice packs or heating pads for fifteen-minute intervals throughout the day can reduce inflammation, thus easing hip pain.
• Elevation: Elevating your affected joint can help to reduce swelling.
• Rest: While your hip is healing, avoid sleeping on the affected hip, and try to avoid strenuous exercises.

When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Some types of hip pain should not be ignored or treated at home. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention:

• You are unable to move your hip/leg
• Sudden or severe swelling
• Signs of infection
• Severe pain
• Inability to bear weight on the affected hip

When to See a Pain Specialist for Persistent Hip Pain

If you’ve tried at-home remedies and are still suffering from persistent hip pain, it’s time to see a doctor. Your hip pain may be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition. And if your pain symptoms have persisted for more than three months, you may be experiencing chronic pain.

A qualified pain doctor can help you manage your joint pain symptoms by offering you a customized treatment plan tailored just for you.

Pain specialists can help you by first figuring out the root cause of your pain. Once they’ve helped you arrive at the right diagnosis, you can begin weighing your various treatment options—surgical and nonsurgical alike. Treatments such as steroid injections, physical therapy, or hip arthroscopy have proven effective at treating a wide array of hip pain sufferers—and a pain specialist can help you determine which of these treatment options is right for your pain.

Looking for a Pain Specialist? Call Dr. Martinez Today

If you live in San Antonio and are wondering, “How do I find the best pain specialist near me?”, then look no further than the offices of Dr. Raul Martinez. Dr. Raul Martinez has performed thousands of successful procedures and has been helping patients with chronic pain management for more than 18 years. Double board-certified in both pain medicine and pain management, Dr. Martinez is dedicated to providing the highest level of care to his patients.

Our experienced staff believes that although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional—and we want to help each and every patient achieve the best possible quality of life in spite of their pain symptoms. Just because you are experiencing the limitations of acute or chronic pain, your life does not have to be controlled by it. To learn about other possible hip pain treatment options, give us a call at 210-441-4333.