Hip and thigh pain after a crash can hide a serious injury
Insight from an orthopedic trauma surgeon and a physical therapist on mobility and hidden injuries
After a collision, pain in the hip or upper thigh can be hard to pin down. It might come from a bruise, a hurt joint or a broken bone. An orthopedic trauma surgeon checks the pelvis, hip and upper leg as a group. Once the injury is known, a physical therapist helps you walk. The therapist also helps with safe transfers, like moving from bed to chair. The first thing to settle is whether the leg can safely take your weight. [1, 2]
Don't try to walk off hip pain
Get emergency help for severe hip pain after a serious injury. Do the same for a leg that looks deformed or badly bruised. The same is true if you can’t move the hip or bear weight on it. Don’t keep standing up to prove the leg works. Are you still at the crash scene with a possible hip or pelvis injury? Move as little as you can until emergency help arrives. [1, 2]
Explain how you were hit and where it hurts
Tell the team if the door, the center console or the seat belt struck the side of your body. Point to the pain, whether it’s in the groin, buttock, outer hip or upper thigh. Mention any numbness, weakness or pain that spreads into the knee. Say if the leg looks shorter or turned a different way. These details shape the exam and the choice about imaging. [1, 2]
Ask what the imaging showed and what it didn’t. Your first results may have looked fine. If you still have severe pain or can’t walk, ask to be checked again. A doctor may need to examine you again or order a different test. Don’t decide by yourself that it’s just a strained muscle. [1]
Make sure your mobility plan works at home
Ask exactly how much weight you can put on the leg. Find out if you need a walker, crutches or another aid. Have someone show you how to get out of bed, take the stairs and get into a car. Tell the team if the plan won’t work in your home. A discharge plan is incomplete if you can’t follow its limits safely. [2]
If you need surgery or a long stretch of limited movement, ask when your activity and therapy will be reviewed. Keep track of how well you can stand, shift from bed to chair and walk, along with how much it hurts. Report new weakness, bladder or bowel trouble or worsening pain promptly. [1, 2]
- Which injury is causing my hip or thigh pain?
- What is my exact rule for putting weight on this leg?
- Who will check me again if walking stays hard?
Know how much weight your leg can take
Sources and further reading
This article offers general education from orthopedic trauma care and physical therapy. After a serious crash, a hip that is painful, deformed or unable to bear weight needs an urgent medical exam.
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