Hip Pain & Injury Care in Boynton Beach

Common Hip Symptoms

Where you feel hip pain is an important clue. Pain in the groin or front of the hip usually comes from inside the joint, while pain on the outer side of the hip often comes from the tendons and bursa there.

• Groin pain, stiffness, and trouble putting on shoes or getting out of a car: common with hip arthritis.
• Tenderness over the outer hip that is worse lying on that side or climbing stairs: often hip bursitis or irritation of the gluteal tendons.
• Sharp groin pain with clicking, locking or catching, often in active people: may point to a hip labral tear.
• Pain in the buttock that travels down the leg: may be coming from the spine rather than the hip.
• Sudden hip pain after a fall with trouble standing: possible hip fracture, especially with osteoporosis.

If you fall and cannot put weight on the leg, or the leg looks shortened or turned out, go to the emergency room or call 911.

How we diagnose hip pain

At Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches, your physician examines how your hip moves, where it is tender and whether the pain may be coming from your back. X-ray, MRI, diagnostic ultrasound and fluoroscopy (live X-ray) are all on site, so imaging usually happens in the same building as your visit.

Sometimes a diagnostic injection helps. If numbing medicine placed in the hip joint relieves your pain for a few hours, that points to the joint as the source.

Non-surgical care first

Many hip problems, including bursitis and early arthritis, improve without surgery. Your plan may include:

• Activity changes, a walking aid for a period and medication where appropriate.
• Physical therapy in our office to strengthen the hip and core, with therapists who share your chart.
• Cortisone injections into the joint or bursa, often guided by ultrasound or fluoroscopy.
• PRP (platelet-rich plasma, prepared from your own blood). Evidence is still developing, results vary, and insurance usually does not cover it.
• Shockwave or MLS laser therapy for some tendon problems. Coverage varies by plan, so ask our team.

Hyaluronic acid injections are FDA-approved for the knee, not the hip. Use in the hip is off-label and is usually not covered by insurance.

When surgery makes sense

Total hip replacement is considered when arthritis pain and stiffness keep limiting daily life despite non-surgical care. Dr. Martin performs direct anterior and mini-posterior hip replacement and specializes in revision surgery for hip replacements that have failed. Dr. Kerr is fellowship-trained in adult hip and knee reconstruction and handles complex cases. Physical therapy before and after surgery can be done in our office.

If you have hip osteoarthritis and Medicare, you may also qualify for our Care Management program, where a physician assistant or nurse practitioner checks in by phone each month and keeps your physician updated. Your usual Medicare cost sharing may apply.

Your hip care team

Dr. Gregory Martin and Dr. Matthew Kerr lead hip arthritis and hip replacement care. Dr. Jeffrey Press treats arthritis, bursitis and labral tears, and Dr. Alexandra Adelman offers non-operative care and ultrasound-guided injections for bursitis and labral tears. Dr. Michael Baskin also treats hip pain, including bursitis, with image-guided procedures.