Hip pain or lower back problem? | TAGMED Clinic
Neurological & Spinal Expertise

Hip or groin pain?
The problem might be coming from your back.

Are you receiving treatment for trochanteric bursitis, psoas tendinitis, femoroacetabular impingement, or buttock pain without lasting relief? This is often because the true cause is in the lumbar region. Discover how a pinched nerve radiates to the hip and mimics a local joint problem.

Discover the treatment See the lumbar guide
Guide to the lumbar nerve roots

The "Fake" Hip Problem

Insisting on treating the hip joint, bursa or gluteal muscles with injections or stretching when the nerves (L1 to S1) are pinched at their base in the lower back is a very common diagnostic error that condemns patients to chronicity.

Local pain is often a decoy.

Anatomy & Pathology

The impact of the lumbar nerves on the hip

The nerves that provide sensation and strength to the groin, side of the hip, and buttock all originate in the lumbar region.

Groin Trap
Nerve root L2 - Groin and Psoas

Root L1-L2

Origin: T12-L2

Flexor control

(Iliopsoas muscle, hip flexors)

Sensory Zone

The groin crease • The upper and front of the thigh

False psoas tendinitis

Compression in the upper lumbar spine radiates directly into the groin. It is often confused with femoroacetabular impingement, psoas tendinopathy, or a muscle tear. The pain typically occurs when raising the leg (e.g., to get into a car).

False Bursitis
Nerve root L4 - Lateral view

Root L4

Origin: L3-L4

Hip extensors

(Iliotibial band, tensor fascia lata)

Sensory Zone

Hip side (Greater trochanter) • Lowering onto the thigh

The Bursitis Trap

Often mistaken for stubborn trochanteric bursitis. The sharp pain felt on the side of the hip (especially when lying on your side at night) very frequently originates from a herniated disc L3-L4 projecting its pain into the corresponding dermatome.

Fake Buttocks
L5 nerve root - Gluteal muscles

Root L5

Origin: L4-L5

Pelvic stability

(Gluteus minimus and medius, abductors)

Sensory Zone

Lateral side of the buttock and hip

Weakness and Limping

Compression of the L5 muscle causes weakness in the gluteus medius. It is often mistakenly treated as gluteus medius tendinitis. If you start to limp or walk with a "hip sway," L5 is the prime suspect.

False Piriformis
Nerve root S1 - Deep gluteal

Root S1

Origin: L5-S1

Propulsion and Extension

(Gluteus maximus)

Sensory Zone

Deep buttock (center) • Back of the thigh

The pitfall of sacroiliac dysfunction

A deep, stabbing pain in the buttock is frequently labeled piriformis syndrome, muscle spasm, or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. It is one of the most classic symptoms of a sciatica pure.

Quick Summary Table of Lumbar Roots

Differential Diagnosis

Hip or Lower Back? (Or both?)

To avoid unnecessary injections into the hip bursa, it is imperative to determine the exact origin of the pain through a thorough clinical evaluation.

How do we make the diagnosis?

Hip X-ray vs. Lumbar MRI

Ultrasound and X-rays of the hip often show slight wear and tear or minor inflammation that is benign for the age of the patient. Only a lumbar evaluation or MRI will allow us to see if a nerve is pinched., causing most of the referred pain in the groin or buttocks.

Neurological Provocation Tests

We combine hip tests (FADIR, FABER) with nerve tension tests in the back. If bending your back or stretching the femoral nerve triggers a "pinching" sensation in your groin, the problem is not joint-related, it's spinal!

The key biomechanical concept

The "Double Crushing" & the Subsidence

Go back to the source

In some cases, bursitis in the hip is real, but it is strictly secondary to a lower back problem.

The cascade of hip destruction:

  • 1. Lumbar nerve compression (L4-L5)
  • 2. Loss of electrical impulse to the gluteus medius muscle
  • ↓
  • 3. Muscle weakness; the pelvis "drops" with each step
  • 4. Excessive mechanical friction = Trochanteric bursitis

Why do hip stretches fail?

No matter how much you inject into the bursa or stretch the psoas muscle, if the lumbar nerve remains compressed, muscle weakness and friction will persist. Local inflammation will inevitably return.

Consequence: Treating the hip alone is a band-aid solution. For a permanent cure, the stabilizing muscles of the pelvis must be "reconnected" by releasing the root lumbar spine thanks to neurovertebral decompression.

The Solution: Spinal decompression therapy

To the At TAGMED Clinic, we target the true neurological source of pain to the pelvis and groin. If your symptoms stem from nerve pain, local hip treatments will only offer temporary relief.

The lumbar neurovertebral decompression is an advanced, non-invasive technology. By creating a computerized and specific stretch of the lower back, it generates negative intradiscal pressure. This shrinks herniated discs, rehydrates the discs, and releases the nerves (L1 to S1) that connect your back to your hip.

Effective for treating the lumbar causes of false hip pain:

Learn more about lumbar therapy

Do not treat the symptom.
Address the root cause.

Failure of local treatments (bursa injections, psoas massages, gluteal stretches...)

Specialized lumbar assessment (T12-S1) by a spine expert

Lumbar Neurovertebral Decompression

Release of the sciatic/femoral nerve, restoration of pelvic strength and cessation of trochanteric burns.

Stop your hip pain.

Let's check the condition of your lumbar nerves today to put your mind at ease.