Pain on my right side above hip

Hip pain is common, especially as you get older. There are things you can do to ease the pain, but get medical help if your hip is very painful or the pain does not get better.

Table of Contents Show

Causes of hip pain
How you can ease hip pain
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
Treatments for hip pain
Exact origins of abdominal pain can be tricky to pinpoint. You may have noticed, for instance, that the liver is listed under several regions: the right hypochondriac, epigastric, and right lumbar. For our purposes, these nine regions will be reduced to four quadrants when discussing pain points.
Right Upper Quadrant
Right Lower Quadrant
Left Upper Quadrant
Left Lower Quadrant
What organ is on the right side above your hip?
When should I be worried about right side pain?
Why does my right side above hip hurt?
Why is my side hurting on the right side?

There is separate information about hip pain in children.

Causes of hip pain

There are lots of possible causes of hip pain. It might be caused by a sudden injury or a longer-lasting problem such as arthritis.

Your symptoms might give you an idea what could be causing the pain. But do not self-diagnose, see a GP if you're worried.

Common causes of hip pain and related symptoms.

Symptoms	Possible cause
Pain, swelling or bruising after intense or repetitive exercise	Sprain or strain
Over 45 years of age, pain worse when walking and stiffness after moving	Osteoarthritis
Pain and stiffness worse after not moving (for example, when you wake up)	Rheumatoid arthritis
Hot, swollen hip and a high temperature or feeling hot and shivery	Joint infection (septic arthritis)
Severe pain and unable to walk after a fall or injury	Hip fracture

How you can ease hip pain

There are things you can do to help ease hip pain.

Do

try to avoid putting too much strain on your hip – it's best to keep moving if you can, but try not to overdo things
put an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas) in a towel on the painful area for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
take paracetamol
wear comfortable, shock-absorbing shoes with a soft sole
try to lose weight if you're overweight
try gentle hip stretching exercises

Don’t

do not take ibuprofen for the first 48 hours after an injury
do not carry anything heavy
do not sit in low chairs – this can put extra pressure on your hips

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

hip pain is stopping you doing normal activities or affecting your sleep
the pain is getting worse or keeps coming back
the pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks
you have hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking up

Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you've not had a fall or injured your hip
your hip is swollen and feels hot
the skin around your hip has changed colour
you have hip pain and feel generally unwell and have a high temperature or feel hot and shivery

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

What we mean by severe pain

Severe pain:

always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk
you cannot sleep
it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress

Moderate pain:

always there
makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
you can manage to get up, wash or dress

Mild pain:

comes and goes
is annoying but does not stop you doing daily activities

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

you have severe hip pain after a fall or injury
you're unable to walk or put weight on your leg
you have any tingling or loss of feeling in your hip or leg after an injury

Find your nearest A&E

Treatments for hip pain

Treatment for hip pain depends on what's causing it.

A GP might:

prescribe stronger painkillers
give you some simple exercises to try
refer you for physiotherapy for more help with exercises and stretches to ease the pain
refer you for occupational therapy – an occupational therapist can help with things to make your life easier, such as walking sticks or walking aids
refer you to a specialist – the specialist may do a scan and discuss treatments such as steroid injections or surgery

Some people with pain caused by a damaged hip joint may eventually need a hip replacement if other treatments do not help.

Page last reviewed: 11 March 2022
Next review due: 11 March 2025

Exact origins of abdominal pain can be tricky to pinpoint. You may have noticed, for instance, that the liver is listed under several regions: the right hypochondriac, epigastric, and right lumbar. For our purposes, these nine regions will be reduced to four quadrants when discussing pain points.

Right Upper Quadrant

Organs found in this quadrant include: the liver, the gallbladder, duodenum, the upper portion of the pancreas, and the hepatic flexure of the colon.

Pain in the right upper quadrant may be indicative of hepatitis, cholecystitis, or the formation of a peptic ulcer.

Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis occurs if a gallstone finds its way into a bile duct preventing bile from flowing out and causing your gallbladder to become inflamed. Symptoms of Cholecystitis include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Belly pain (may worsen when taking deep breaths)
Possible aches in back or right shoulder blade

Note: Bacteria also can cause Cholecystitis.

Hepatitis
Regardless of cause, inflammation of the liver is referred to as hepatitis. Most instances of hepatitis are viral, but the disease may also be caused by drugs or alcohol. The most common types of viral hepatitis include:

Hepatitis A - This virus causes an acute inflammation and will usually heal on its own. It's easily spread in food and water, and often infects many people at once.
Hepatitis B - This virus can be both acute (short-term illness) and chronic (ongoing illness), and is spread through blood or other body fluids in various ways.
Hepatitis C - The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is almost always chronic and spreads usually by blood. Hepatitis A and B can be prevented by vaccination, but not hepatitis C. However, certain strains of Hepatitis C may be cured by a regimen of direct-acting antiviral medication.

Peptic Ulcer
A hole in the lining of the digestive tract is called a peptic ulcer. Peptic ulcers are created by erosive digestive action of pepsin and stomach acid, which may be linked to any of the following root causes:

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a type of stomach infection and inflammation causing bacteria
Excessive use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin (Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil), and other anti-inflammatory drugs
Smoking and drinking
Radiation therapy
Stomach cancer

Right Lower Quadrant

Organs found in the right lower quadrant include the appendix, the upper portion of the colon, and the right ovary and the Fallopian tube in women.

The right lower quadrant may be assessed when diagnosing appendicitis, in which case, this quadrant would be tender and painful.

Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed and filled with pus, causing pain. If left untreated, appendicitis may cause your appendix to rupture and cause infection, which can be serious and even fatal.

Left Upper Quadrant

Organs in the left upper quadrant include the stomach, spleen, left portion of the liver, main body of the pancreas, the left portion of the kidney, adrenal glands, splenix flexure of the colon, and bottom part of the colon.

This quadrant may feel tender in cases of appendicitis and abnormalities of the intestines, such as malrotation.

Left Lower Quadrant

Organs found in this quadrant include the sigmoid colon, and the left ovary and Fallopian tube in women.

Pain in this quadrant may be symptomatic of colitis, diverticulitis, or kidney stones. Ovarian cysts (in women) or pelvic inflammation may also be at the root of pain in this quadrant.

Diverticulitis
Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that can form in the lining of your digestive system. Sometimes, however, one or more of the pouches become inflamed or infected. That condition is known as diverticulitis.

Ureteral Colic
This is most commonly caused by the obstruction of the urinary tract by kidney stones.

Colitis
Colitis, simply put, is inflammation of the colon. The three most common forms of colitis are: ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and infection.

Ulcerative Colitis
This is a chronic IBD that causes sores (ulcers) in the lining of your colon, as well as inflammation.

Crohn's Disease
This is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract. Inflammation can appear anywhere in the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus, and it generally affects all the layers of the bowel walls, not just the inner lining.

C. Diff. Colitis
This is inflammation of the colon caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile which can occur after treatment with antibiotics.

What organ is on the right side above your hip?

Right Upper Quadrant. Organs found in this quadrant include: the liver, the gallbladder, duodenum, the upper portion of the pancreas, and the hepatic flexure of the colon. Pain in the right upper quadrant may be indicative of hepatitis, cholecystitis, or the formation of a peptic ulcer.

When should I be worried about right side pain?

“Appendicitis, or an infection of the appendix, can be a life-threatening condition. Appendicitis is considered a medical emergency, and surgery is required to remove the appendix.” If you notice pain (especially on your right side), fever, vomiting and loss of appetite, get emergency medical attention.

Why does my right side above hip hurt?

Abdominal wall problems Made of skin, fat, muscles, and facia, an injury to the abdominal wall, muscle strain, hernia, irritation, or an infection can cause pain above the right hip. Usually, severe tenderness occurs along with the pain.

Why is my side hurting on the right side?

Right side abdominal pain is commonly caused by gas pain or intestinal disease, however it can also be a sign of appendicitis or gallstones if the pain is very intense, worsens as time goes on or persists for many days. Abdominal pain is typically not serious if it is mild and does not occur with other symptoms.