Why Does My Hip Hurt When I Get Up From a Chair?

Key Takeaways

• Hip pain when getting out of a chair can come from several different areas. Pain in the groin, outside of the hip, or buttock can point toward different joints, tendons, muscles, or even the lumbar spine.
• The sit-to-stand movement places substantial demand on both the hips and thighs. A painful hip may be sensitive to loading, while reduced strength can make the same everyday movement more demanding.
• Hip osteoarthritis commonly causes stiffness after sitting, but pain with standing does not automatically mean arthritis. Tendon problems, bursitis-related presentations, muscle injuries, and referred low back pain can create similar complaints.
• The height of the chair provides useful information. A low couch or car seat requires greater hip motion and muscular effort than a taller chair and may expose problems that are barely noticeable during easier movements.
• Progressive loss of motion, significant weakness, inability to bear weight, substantial trauma, or severe unexplained pain deserves evaluation. Treatment should be based on the actual source of the symptoms rather than assuming every painful hip simply needs stretching.

One Simple Movement Can Reveal a Lot About the Hip

Standing up from a chair is something most people perform dozens of times every day without thinking about it.

Until it hurts.

Then suddenly the patient notices every:

• Office chair
• Restaurant booth
• Car seat
• Couch
• Toilet
• Theater seat

The pattern can vary.

One person feels a sharp pain in the groin as they begin to stand.

Another feels aching on the outside of the hip.

Someone else points to the buttock and calls it hip pain.

Another patient says:

“The first couple of steps hurt, but once I get moving I’m okay.”

Those differences matter because “hip pain” describes a region, not a diagnosis.

Before deciding how to treat it, we need to determine where the symptoms are actually coming from.

Pain Location Is One of the Best Places to Start

The hip joint sits deeper than many patients realize.

Pain arising from the hip joint itself is frequently felt toward the:

• Groin
• Front of the hip
• Upper thigh

That does not mean every episode of groin pain originates in the hip joint, but it is an important pattern.

Pain over the outside of the hip raises different possibilities, including problems involving the gluteal tendons and surrounding tissues.

Pain primarily in the buttock may involve:

• Muscles
• Tendons
• Sacroiliac region
• Lumbar spine
• Nerves
• Other structures

This is why pointing with one finger to the most painful area can sometimes provide more useful information than simply saying:

“My hip hurts.”

Sit-to-Stand Is a Real Strength Test

Getting out of a chair looks simple, but mechanically it requires quite a bit from the lower body.

The body has to move its center of mass forward and upward while the:

• Hips extend
• Knees extend
• Trunk stabilizes
• Gluteal muscles generate force
• Quadriceps generate force

A taller chair makes the task relatively easy.

A low chair requires:

• More hip flexion
• More knee flexion
• Greater muscular force
• Greater joint loading

That is why someone may stand comfortably from an examination table but struggle to get off a low couch.

The difference is not imaginary.

The mechanical demand has changed.

Why the First Few Steps Can Feel Stiff

Some patients sit comfortably but feel stiff or painful when they first stand.

They may take several short steps before walking normally.

This start-up pain can occur with several musculoskeletal conditions.

Hip osteoarthritis is one possibility.

After a period of relative inactivity, an arthritic joint may feel:

• Stiff
• Achy
• Difficult to move

Then movement becomes easier after several steps.

But the same general complaint can occur with other conditions.

The pattern provides a clue rather than a diagnosis.

We still need to consider:

• Pain location
• Range of motion
• Strength
• Walking tolerance
• Age
• Previous injury
• Other symptoms

Hip Osteoarthritis Often Changes More Than Just Standing Up

Osteoarthritis of the hip can gradually affect several daily activities.

Patients may notice difficulty:

• Getting out of a chair
• Getting out of the car
• Putting on socks
• Putting on shoes
• Crossing the legs
• Walking longer distances
• Climbing stairs
• Turning or pivoting

The hip may also lose motion.

Internal rotation is one movement that can become restricted as hip arthritis progresses.

Some patients initially interpret this as simple tightness.

They stretch harder.

But a joint with meaningful osteoarthritic restriction behaves differently from a healthy hip with a short muscle.

That distinction matters when treatment is planned.

An X-Ray Showing Arthritis Does Not Automatically Explain Every Hip Pain

Hip osteoarthritis is common, particularly with increasing age.

X-rays can show changes such as:

• Joint-space narrowing
• Osteophytes
• Other degenerative findings

Those findings may be clinically important.

But imaging needs context.

A patient can have visible degeneration and still function quite well.

Another patient may have significant symptoms with less dramatic imaging.

The useful question is not simply:

“Is there arthritis on the X-ray?”

It is:

“Do the history, examination, functional limitations, and imaging findings fit together?”

Pain on the Outside of the Hip Suggests a Different Pattern

When the patient points directly to the outer side of the hip, we think beyond the hip joint itself.

A common clinical category is greater trochanteric pain syndrome, or GTPS.

This region includes the gluteal tendons and nearby tissues around the greater trochanter.

Patients may notice pain with:

• Standing from a chair
• Walking
• Stairs
• Standing on one leg
• Lying on the painful side
• Getting in and out of a car

The area may be tender when pressed.

This is different from deep groin pain caused by the hip joint, even though patients commonly call both problems “hip pain.”

The Gluteal Tendons Help You Stand Up

The gluteal muscles do much more than shape the back of the hip.

They contribute to:

• Hip extension
• Pelvic control
• Walking
• Stair climbing
• Single-leg stability
• Rising from sitting

When gluteal tendons or surrounding tissues become sensitive, transitions from sitting to standing can become painful.

But there is an important rehabilitation principle here.

Tendons generally need appropriate loading to maintain and regain capacity.

The long-term answer is therefore not always:

“Don’t use the hip.”

Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may involve temporarily reducing provocative loads and then progressively rebuilding strength.

Hip Bursitis Is Often More Complicated Than the Name Suggests

Patients with outer-hip pain are frequently told they have bursitis.

A bursa is a fluid-filled structure that helps reduce friction around certain tissues.

Bursal irritation can occur.

However, lateral hip pain frequently involves the gluteal tendons and surrounding structures rather than an isolated inflamed bursa alone.

That is one reason the broader term greater trochanteric pain syndrome is often useful.

The distinction matters because long-term rehabilitation may need to address:

• Tendon capacity
• Hip strength
• Walking load
• Compression
• Functional activity

rather than focusing only on reducing inflammation.

The Low Back Can Masquerade as Hip Pain

One of the most important clinical distinctions is separating a true hip problem from pain referred from the lumbar spine.

Patients commonly point to the buttock and say:

“My hip hurts right here.”

But lumbar structures can refer pain into:

• Buttock
• Lateral hip region
• Upper thigh

Nerve-related conditions can extend even farther.

Clues that make us consider the lumbar spine include:

• Concurrent low back pain
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Burning
• Pain extending farther down the leg
• Symptoms changing substantially with spinal position
• Weakness

This is why evaluating only the spot that hurts can sometimes miss the source.

Groin Pain Deserves a Broader Differential Diagnosis

Groin pain often makes us think about the hip joint, but not all groin pain is orthopedic hip pain.

Depending on the patient’s presentation, other possibilities may include:

• Muscle or tendon injuries
• Hernia
• Pelvic conditions
• Urological conditions
• Other medical causes

A musculoskeletal examination helps determine whether hip movement and loading reproduce the symptoms.

If the pattern does not behave like a routine mechanical hip problem, broader medical evaluation may be appropriate.

Good diagnosis includes recognizing when the pain may not originate from the musculoskeletal system.

Getting Out of a Car Can Be More Difficult Than Getting Out of a Chair

Car transfers combine several movements.

The patient has to:

• Rise from a relatively low seat
• Rotate the body
• Move the leg outward
• Shift weight onto one leg

That combination can expose hip problems particularly well.

Someone with hip-joint stiffness may struggle to rotate the leg.

Someone with lateral hip pain may hurt when loading the affected side.

Someone with low back referral may become symptomatic after the prolonged sitting that occurred before they ever tried to exit the vehicle.

So when a patient says:

“Getting out of my car is the worst part,”

that is clinically useful information.

A Low Couch Changes the Demand Dramatically

Patients often tell us:

“Some chairs bother me and others don’t.”

That makes sense.

A low, soft couch may allow the pelvis to sink below the knees.

To stand, the patient must then generate considerably more force through a deeper hip and knee position.

Compare that with a firm, higher chair.

The patient starts closer to standing and needs less force.

This difference can help us determine whether symptoms are strongly related to:

• Hip flexion
• Joint loading
• Lower-extremity strength
• Overall capacity

Chair height can therefore become both a diagnostic clue and a rehabilitation variable.

Using the Arms to Stand Can Hide a Loss of Lower-Body Capacity

Patients adapt.

If standing becomes uncomfortable, they may begin pushing off with:

• Armrests
• Their thighs
• A countertop
• The chair

Sometimes they do this so gradually that they do not realize it has become necessary.

Then they encounter a chair without armrests and discover how difficult standing has become.

This is why sit-to-stand testing can be valuable.

It helps us assess whether the patient can generate enough lower-extremity force to perform a normal daily movement without substantial compensation.

Weakness and Pain Can Reinforce Each Other

A common cycle develops:

Hip hurts → patient reduces activity → muscles become less conditioned → standing and walking become harder → the hip experiences greater relative demand → patient reduces activity further.

Rest may be appropriate during certain acute injuries.

But prolonged avoidance can reduce capacity.

For many chronic mechanical hip problems, recovery eventually requires progressively restoring:

• Strength
• Movement
• Walking tolerance
• Confidence

The challenge is finding the correct starting dose.

Too much loading may flare the condition.

Too little may never create adaptation.

The Hip Does Not Work Alone

Standing from a chair involves the entire lower-extremity chain.

The:

• Low back
• Pelvis
• Hip
• Knee
• Ankle

all contribute.

If one region has limited movement or strength, another may compensate.

For example, a patient with limited hip mobility may use more trunk movement to stand.

A patient with a painful knee may shift weight toward the opposite hip.

A patient with ankle restrictions may alter squat and sit-to-stand mechanics.

This does not mean every painful hip requires treatment of the entire body.

It means we assess the connected regions when the movement pattern suggests they are relevant.

Why Stretching Is Not Automatically the Solution

Hip pain is frequently described as tightness.

That often leads to aggressive stretching.

But a sensation of tightness can occur with:

• Arthritis
• Tendon irritation
• Muscular guarding
• Joint stiffness
• Pain-related protective tension

These are not all treated the same way.

A genuinely restricted but appropriate-to-mobilize hip may benefit from mobility work.

An irritated lateral hip tendon may not appreciate being repeatedly forced into highly compressive positions.

A significantly arthritic joint may have structural limitations that cannot simply be stretched away.

The treatment should reflect what is actually limiting motion.

Walking After Standing Gives Us More Information

What happens after the patient gets out of the chair is often just as useful as the painful transition itself.

The Hip Loosens After Several Steps

This can fit certain stiffness-dominant or arthritic patterns.

Pain Continues to Increase With Walking

We think more about ongoing load sensitivity, tendon problems, joint pathology, or other conditions.

The Patient Develops Numbness or Tingling

Neurological involvement becomes more important.

The Patient Cannot Put Weight on the Leg

That substantially increases concern, particularly after trauma.

The Patient Develops a Significant Limp

The degree of functional limitation deserves closer evaluation.

The symptom pattern continues after the patient leaves the chair.

When Hip Pain With Standing Should Be Evaluated

Evaluation becomes more appropriate when:

• Symptoms persist for several weeks
• Pain is progressively worsening
• Walking distance is declining
• Hip motion is decreasing
• The patient increasingly needs the arms to stand
• Pain interferes with sleep
• Getting in or out of the car becomes difficult
• A significant limp develops
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness appears
• Symptoms followed a fall or other trauma

A patient does not need to wait until they can barely walk before having a persistent hip problem assessed.

The central question is:

“What part of standing from the chair is provoking the hip, where is the pain actually coming from, and does this problem primarily require better mobility, greater strength and capacity, treatment of an irritated tissue, or additional medical evaluation?”

How Doyle Chiropractic Evaluates Hip Pain When Getting Up From a Chair

The evaluation begins by identifying where the pain is coming from and which part of the sit-to-stand movement provokes it.

Dr. Geoffrey Doyle may assess:

• Hip range of motion
• Hip strength
• Gluteal function
• Tenderness around the lateral hip
• Hip-joint provocative movements
• Sit-to-stand mechanics
• Walking pattern
• Single-leg stability
• Knee and ankle function when relevant
• Lumbar spine function when symptoms suggest referral
• Neurological function when indicated

Pain location is especially useful.

Deep groin pain with restricted hip motion may lead us toward a different clinical pathway than tenderness over the outside of the hip.

Buttock pain that changes with lumbar movement may require us to examine the spine rather than assuming the hip joint is responsible.

The objective is not simply to find a tender area.

It is to determine which structure and movement pattern best explain the patient’s functional problem.

Treatment Should Match the Source of the Hip Pain

For appropriately selected musculoskeletal hip conditions, conservative care may include:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Progressive strengthening
• Mobility work when indicated
• Activity modification
• Chiropractic or manual treatment
• Soft tissue therapy
• Class IV laser therapy when appropriate
• Gradual restoration of walking and functional activity

The balance of treatment depends on the diagnosis.

A stiff arthritic hip may need a different strategy from an overloaded gluteal tendon.

A patient whose apparent “hip pain” actually originates from the lumbar spine requires treatment directed toward the spinal condition.

There is no single hip-pain protocol that makes sense for everyone.

Rebuilding the Ability to Stand Is Often Part of Rehabilitation

If standing from a chair is the activity that exposes the problem, that movement can become part of rehabilitation.

The starting point should be tolerable.

A patient may initially practice from a relatively high, firm surface.

As strength and comfort improve, progression may include:

• Lower chair heights
• Less assistance from the arms
• More repetitions
• Slower controlled lowering
• Added resistance when appropriate

This allows us to progressively increase demand rather than repeatedly testing the hip at a level it cannot yet tolerate.

The goal is practical:

The patient should eventually be able to get out of ordinary chairs without thinking about the hip.

Hip Strength Is About More Than One Muscle

Patients sometimes hear that they simply need to strengthen their glutes.

The gluteal muscles are certainly important, but hip function depends on several muscle groups working together.

Rehabilitation may include exercises addressing:

• Hip extension
• Hip abduction
• Hip rotation
• Lower-extremity control
• Trunk and pelvic stability

Depending on the patient, this may involve:

• Bridges
• Sit-to-stands
• Step exercises
• Hip-abduction exercises
• Resistance exercises
• Squat variations
• Single-leg activities

Exercise selection should be based on what the patient can tolerate and what the examination identifies.

More difficult is not automatically better.

Lateral Hip Tendon Problems Need Thoughtful Loading

For patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome or gluteal tendon involvement, rehabilitation often includes progressive strengthening.

But tendon rehabilitation is not simply:

“Do as many exercises as possible.”

We consider:

• Current irritability
• Walking volume
• Stair exposure
• Exercise history
• Strength
• Recovery between sessions
• Positions that compress the lateral hip

The initial goal may be to reduce repeated aggravation while maintaining appropriate activity.

Then load can be progressively increased.

This helps restore the tendon’s ability to tolerate everyday demands rather than creating long-term dependence on avoiding them.

Compression Can Matter in Lateral Hip Pain

Gluteal tendons near the outside of the hip can be exposed to compressive forces in certain positions.

That can help explain why the same patient may hurt when:

• Lying directly on the affected side
• Standing with the hip pushed outward
• Crossing the legs
• Allowing one hip to drop during standing

Temporarily modifying strongly provocative positions may help settle an irritable lateral hip.

But the long-term goal is still functional capacity.

Patients should not be taught that normal hip movement is dangerous.

Hip Arthritis Usually Benefits From Continued Appropriate Movement

When osteoarthritis is part of the diagnosis, patients sometimes believe the safest approach is to use the hip as little as possible.

That can be counterproductive.

Appropriately dosed physical activity can help maintain:

• Strength
• Mobility
• Walking ability
• General conditioning
• Independence

The appropriate amount varies.

A patient with mild arthritis who walks several miles may need a different plan from someone with advanced disease and major functional limitation.

The objective is not to “wear the joint out” through exercise.

Nor is it to promise that exercise will reverse structural arthritis.

It is to help the patient preserve and improve as much function as reasonably possible.

Mobility Work Should Respect the Joint

When the hip has a clinically meaningful restriction, mobility work may be appropriate.

Treatment may include:

• Controlled range-of-motion exercises
• Joint mobilization
• Appropriate stretching
• Functional movement

But a structurally restricted arthritic hip should not be aggressively forced simply to match the opposite side.

Likewise, a highly irritable tendon may not tolerate aggressive stretching into painful positions.

The goal is useful mobility, not maximal mobility at any cost.

Chiropractic and Manual Treatment

Chiropractic or manual treatment may be incorporated when clinically relevant restrictions are identified in the hip, pelvis, lumbar spine, or other connected regions.

Depending on the diagnosis, this may help:

• Improve movement
• Reduce stiffness
• Make functional exercise more comfortable

Manual care should be directed by examination findings.

It should not be based on the idea that the hip repeatedly slips “out of place” when the patient sits.

And when a patient has significant arthritis, fracture, serious structural injury, or another condition requiring specialist management, manual treatment should remain within appropriate clinical boundaries.

When the Low Back Is Actually Driving the Hip Symptoms

If the examination suggests the lumbar spine is referring pain toward the buttock or hip, treatment needs to address that source.

Depending on the diagnosis, this may involve:

• Lumbar mobility
• Chiropractic or manual treatment
• Therapeutic exercise
• Trunk and hip strengthening
• Activity modification
• Spinal decompression for selected disc- or nerve-related conditions

This is an important reason not to treat pain location alone.

Repeatedly treating the outside of the hip will provide limited value if the primary source of the symptoms is actually a lumbar nerve or spinal structure.

Soft Tissue Therapy

Soft tissue therapy may be useful when relevant muscles or tendons demonstrate tenderness or guarding.

Depending on the presentation, treatment may address tissues around the:

• Gluteal region
• Hip flexors
• Thigh
• Lumbar or pelvic region

The purpose is to improve comfort and movement where appropriate.

Soft tissue treatment should not become the entire strategy when the patient primarily needs improved strength and load tolerance.

Class IV Laser Therapy

Class IV laser therapy may be incorporated for selected musculoskeletal hip and tendon conditions when clinically appropriate.

Laser therapy delivers therapeutic light energy to targeted tissues and may be used as an adjunct for pain and inflammation management.

It may accompany:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Activity modification
• Manual treatment
• Soft tissue therapy

Laser therapy does not reverse advanced structural hip arthritis or replace appropriate orthopedic evaluation when significant joint disease is present.

Its role should be diagnosis-specific and part of a broader treatment plan.

The Dr. Doyle Perspective

“When somebody tells me their hip hurts getting out of a chair, one of the first things I ask is where they actually feel it. Deep groin pain, pain directly over the outside of the hip, and pain in the buttock can be three very different problems. Then I want to see them stand. Do they push with their arms? Shift away from one side? Limp for the first few steps? Those details usually tell me much more than simply knowing that the hip hurts.”

— Dr. Geoffrey Doyle, DC

Our Clinical Experience

A common patient begins by saying:

“I think my hip is just getting old.”

They notice that low chairs have become difficult.

Then they begin using the arms to stand.

They avoid stairs.

They walk less.

Months later, the hip feels even weaker and ordinary activities require more effort.

Sometimes arthritis is part of that story.

But the loss of physical capacity around the joint can become an additional problem.

Another patient with nearly the same complaint may have good hip-joint motion but significant tenderness and weakness around the lateral gluteal tendons.

Another may actually have referred pain from the lumbar spine.

That is why we do not want to treat the phrase “hip pain” as the diagnosis.

Measuring Recovery With Everyday Tasks

Sit-to-stand pain gives us practical ways to monitor progress.

Can the patient:

• Rise from a standard chair without using the arms?
• Get off a low couch?
• Get out of the car comfortably?
• Stand from a restaurant booth?
• Walk normally on the first several steps?
• Climb stairs?
• Put on shoes and socks?
• Walk farther without limping?

We can also compare chair heights.

A patient may initially tolerate only a high surface.

Later, they can rise comfortably from a standard chair.

Eventually, low seats are no longer a meaningful problem.

That progression represents real functional improvement.

When X-Rays Are Useful

X-rays may be appropriate when there is concern for:

• Hip osteoarthritis
• Significant degenerative change
• Fracture
• Previous trauma
• Structural abnormalities
• Other bony pathology

Weight-bearing imaging can provide useful information in selected cases.

But degenerative findings must still be interpreted alongside the patient’s symptoms.

An X-ray should help explain the clinical picture rather than replace it.

When MRI or Other Advanced Imaging Is Appropriate

MRI may be considered when there is concern for:

• Significant tendon injury
• Labral or other intra-articular pathology
• Occult fracture
• Avascular necrosis
• Persistent unexplained pain
• Other soft-tissue or bone conditions not adequately evaluated with ordinary X-rays

Ultrasound may also be useful for selected superficial tendon and soft-tissue problems.

Advanced imaging is most useful when there is a specific clinical question and the result is likely to affect management.

When Orthopedic Referral Is Appropriate

Orthopedic or sports-medicine referral may be appropriate when there is:

• Advanced hip arthritis with substantial functional limitation
• Suspected fracture
• Significant traumatic injury
• Major tendon injury
• Persistent severe pain
• Progressive loss of function
• Failure to improve appropriately with conservative treatment
• A condition potentially requiring injection, procedure, or surgery

For advanced osteoarthritis, hip replacement can be an appropriate and highly effective option for selected patients when symptoms and functional limitations justify it.

Good conservative care includes recognizing when a patient has reached the point where orthopedic consultation makes sense.

Hip Pain After a Fall Deserves Additional Caution

A fall changes the clinical picture, particularly in older adults or people with increased fracture risk.

Hip fractures do not always present identically.

Severe pain and inability to bear weight are obvious warning signs.

But persistent significant groin or hip pain after a fall may still require imaging even when the patient can walk.

An occult fracture can occasionally be missed on initial evaluation or plain X-rays.

Pain after meaningful trauma should not simply be stretched or manipulated without appropriate assessment.

When Hip Pain Needs Prompt Medical Evaluation

Prompt medical evaluation is appropriate when hip pain is associated with:

• Significant trauma
• Inability to bear weight
• Visible deformity
• Sudden severe pain
• Rapidly progressive weakness
• A red, hot, markedly swollen joint
• Fever or systemic illness
• Significant neurological symptoms
• Severe unexplained pain that does not behave mechanically

Certain medical conditions can also produce hip or groin-region symptoms that are not primarily musculoskeletal.

When the history or examination does not fit a routine hip problem, broader evaluation is appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my hip hurt when I first stand but then feel better after walking?

Some hip conditions create stiffness after inactivity that improves once the joint begins moving. Hip osteoarthritis can produce this pattern, but it is not the only possible cause.

Why does my groin hurt when I get out of a chair?

The hip joint commonly refers pain toward the groin, particularly when deeper hip flexion and weight-bearing are provocative. Muscle, tendon, and non-musculoskeletal causes can also produce groin pain.

Why does the outside of my hip hurt when I stand up?

Lateral hip pain may involve the gluteal tendons and surrounding tissues, often grouped under greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Examination helps distinguish this from pain arising inside the hip joint.

Does hip pain when standing mean I have arthritis?

No. Arthritis is one possibility, but tendon problems, muscle conditions, lumbar referral, and other disorders can create similar symptoms.

Why are low chairs harder on my hip?

A low chair requires more hip and knee flexion and greater muscular force to stand. This increases the demand on both the hip joint and surrounding muscles.

Should I use my arms to get out of a chair if my hip hurts?

Using the arms temporarily can reduce load on a painful hip. However, increasing reliance on the arms may also indicate reduced lower-extremity capacity. Rehabilitation may progressively restore the ability to stand without assistance when appropriate.

Should I stretch a painful hip?

That depends on the diagnosis. Some mobility restrictions benefit from appropriate stretching, while certain tendon conditions or significantly arthritic joints may not respond well to aggressive stretching.

Can hip pain actually come from my back?

Yes. Lumbar structures and nerves can refer symptoms into the buttock, lateral hip, and thigh. Numbness, tingling, weakness, low back pain, or symptoms that change with spinal movement make lumbar involvement particularly important to evaluate.

Can chiropractic care help hip pain?

For appropriately selected musculoskeletal hip conditions, chiropractic or manual care may help address clinically relevant movement restrictions. Treatment may also include therapeutic exercise, strengthening, mobility work, soft tissue therapy, activity modification, and Class IV laser therapy depending on the diagnosis.

When should I see an orthopedic specialist?

Referral may be appropriate for advanced arthritis, significant trauma, suspected fracture or major tendon injury, progressive functional loss, or symptoms that do not improve appropriately with conservative care.