

Rheumatologists are the doctors who treat AS, in addition to other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. This means that often, by the time imaging shows inflammatory changes to the spine, SI joint, hips, or elsewhere, AS has not been effectively managed.īecause hip pain can be caused by a variety of injuries and medical conditions, getting a thorough diagnosis is important to make sure your treatment plan is appropriate. Even though MRI often shows inflammation sooner, it isn’t perfect at detecting it.

Overall, changes due to AS on X-ray can take years to show up. The researchers also observed hip joint narrowing in the majority of the cohort. The study found that 42 percent of participants with minimal-to-no hip pain still had visible MRI lesions. The authors reported AS hip pain is often located in the groin area and, in addition to spine-related pain, is a leading cause of mobility issues in people with AS. This is because inflammation can take time to present on X-ray, among other factors.Ī 2021 Chinese study investigated whether X-ray or MRI showed changes in participants with AS. The number of people who had radiographic (X-ray) hip changes was smaller. The authors stated that around 24 to 36 percent of people with AS had clinical hip involvement, meaning they reported symptoms of hip pain. A 2017 Korean study found over 12 percent of participants with AS had hip arthritis. Hip pain with AS can be due to enthesitis or to arthritis in the hip itself. Many people with AS who have hip pain experience it bilaterally, meaning it happens in both hips. In some cases, you may feel pain originating from the hip joints lower down on the legs and knees. When the hips are affected, the pain tends to build gradually. The Spondylitis Association of America reports that about 1 in 3 people with AS experience hip and shoulder pain. People with AS can experience enthesitis in the hips and other sites, including the:


The clinical term for inflammation of the areas where tendons and ligaments attach to bones is enthesitis or enthesopathy. This includes the sacroiliac (SI) joint, where the spine connects to the pelvis. The inflammation associated with AS usually first triggers pain in the joints, tendons, and ligaments of the lower spine.
