A hip pointer injury is a deep bruise, because of impact or trauma to the hip (iliac crest of the pelvis, the waist line).
Hip pointer pain is intense because the hip is near to the body’s surface, that barely supports the binary bones and nearby muscle in an impact (trauma). Hip bruises plus similar bone bruises are more severe than regular muscle bruises, and often is a longer duration to recover.
Mild to severe hip pointers are commonly frequent with impacts sports like
- martial arts
- baseball
- football
- rugby
- ice hockey
- field hockey
The three most common symptoms of a hip pointer are skin discoloration (red/purple/blue/green/brown/yellow), swelling, and tenderness.
When a hip pointer includes a bone fracture, it typically stalls recovery time and induces more painful symptoms like
- a sensation of palpation
- reduced range-of-motion (ROM) – stiffness
- reduced strength in the hip abductors – weakness
- formation of a hematoma (thick blood clotting), with increasing pain and possible cutaneous (skin) neurologic compromise, that is the initial hip pointer pain, usually within 24 hours of the injury
- additional complexities are development of myositis ossificans (inflammation induced by swelling and bruising)
Full diagnostic examination to confirm damage to intra-abdominal organs or a fracture is imminent.
Further technical treatment
Aspiration of a hematoma, if present, may provide some pain relief. Injection of a local anesthetic (lidocaine, bupivacaine) may provide temporarily relief.
- no evidence supports or refutes the use of corticosteroid injections in hip pointer injuries
- corticosteroid injections may provide relief if greater trochanteric bursitis develops
The conventional RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) technique is regularly practiced initial treatment for a hip pointer, usually it is supplemented with an anti-inflammatory medication for pain.
