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Back Pain or Hip Pain? How to Tell Them Apart
Pain in the buttock, groin, or outer thigh can be described by conditions of the lower back, of the hip joint, and of the pelvis — the areas they cover overlap. This page puts the candidates side by side so you can read each one in full. It is a place to start reading, not a substitute for an examination.
8 guides on this page, including 3 conditions that mimic spine pain.
This article is general education, not medical advice. It cannot account for your history, imaging, or examination — talk to a qualified clinician about your own care.
Conditions that mimic spine pain
These are problems elsewhere in the body. They are covered in this library because they are commonly mistaken for a spinal cause, and telling them apart changes who you should be seeing.
- General
Hip Osteoarthritis as a Spine Mimic
Also called: hip arthritis, worn out hip joint, wear and tear hip arthritis
Hip osteoarthritis frequently mimics lumbar spine conditions by producing groin, thigh, and buttock pain that overlaps with spinal nerve-root territories, making accurate diagnosis essential before any treatment is started.
Read the full guide - Pelvis
SI Joint Pain as a Spine Mimic
Also called: sacroiliac joint pain, si joint dysfunction, pain where the pelvis meets the spine
Pain from the SI joint, where your pelvis meets the base of your spine, is commonly mistaken for a lumbar disc or nerve problem.
Read the full guide - General
Inflammatory Spondyloarthropathy as a Spine Mimic
Also called: ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory back pain, axial spondyloarthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis and related inflammatory spondyloarthropathies cause deep low back pain and stiffness that is often mistaken for a degenerative disc or joint problem until the inflammatory pattern is recognized.
Read the full guide
Spine conditions covered here
- Lower Back
Lumbar Radiculopathy
Also called: pinched nerve in the lower back, sciatica, trapped nerve in the lower back, nerve pain down the leg
A pinched or inflamed nerve root in the lower back that sends sharp, burning, or electric pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness down the leg.
Read the full guide - Lower Back
Lumbar Foraminal Stenosis
Also called: narrowed nerve exit in the lower back, pinched nerve where it leaves the spine
A narrowing of the bony exit channel through which a lumbar nerve root leaves the spine, causing sharp, radiating leg pain, numbness, and sometimes weakness.
Read the full guide - Lower Back
Degenerative Spondylolisthesis
Also called: slipped vertebra, vertebra slipping forward, spinal slippage from wear and tear
A condition in which one lumbar vertebra slips forward on the one below due to age-related wear, narrowing the spinal canal and causing back pain and leg symptoms.
Read the full guide - Lower Back
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Also called: narrowed spinal canal in the lower back, lower back spinal stenosis
Narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back that crowds the nerves, causing leg pain and heaviness with standing and walking that eases when you sit or lean forward.
Read the full guide - Lower Back
Mechanical Low Back Pain
Also called: non specific low back pain, common lower back pain, simple back pain
The most common type of low back pain: aching or stiffness confined to the lower back, without leg pain, that usually improves on its own with time and activity.
Read the full guide
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