Is my hip pain due to arthritis?

Question:
I am 49 years old and physically fit. Never had any serious injuries or pains. 11 days ago I woke up with a twinge in my right hip area. 2 days after the initial twinge, I got intense burning pain in my outer thigh down to just above the knee that was unbearable when I walked. Sitting or squatting relieved the pain. Never felt pain when sitting, just slight muscle spasms in the thigh area. As soon as I stood up, I would feel pain which increased if I would bend at my waist to the right. I could only sleep in a fetal position. If I straightened out my leg while in bed, I would get intense burning pain in my thigh. The pain would wake me from my sleep. Rolling over was very painful. I went to an orthopedic surgeon who looked at x-rays of my lumbar/pelvic region and found everything normal. He moved my leg around in different positions asking me to tell him where it hurt. He really couldn't tell me what I had other than verify that it was in the hip area. He offered to send me to a physical therapist and he gave me a prescription for anti-inflammatory pills. Since I'm going on vacation for a couple of weeks, I held up on the physical therapist. The pain is not as intense these last couple of days, but its still there. I can sleep comfortably now without waking up but rolling over still does cause pain in my thigh. The intense burning pain does return occasionally, especially if I bend my waist to the right. I can ride a bike with no pain because I am in the sitting position. I was just wondering if anyone with arthritis in the hip area had similar symptoms or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Answer:
Sounds an awful like like trochaneric bursitis. The operative term here being awful. Hip bursitis is misery-making. It was the bane of my existence for most of my adult life. It can be a transitory thing, and maybe all you'll need are the antiinflammatories, and it'll be gone. For me, it turned out to be directly related to my psoriatic arthritis, which as a spondylopathy, affects the hip, lower back, and other stuff, wasn't resolved until I started taking Enbrel a few years ago. I haven't had a major bursitis flare since. Life on that corner of my world is definitely good. In that your hip pain is new, and your x-rays do not show any stuff, I recommend you maybe should see a rheumatologist, as this specialty is the best suited to diagnose and treat arthritic conditions, including bursitis. You are definitely not barking up a wrong tree. But, having said that, I sure hope your problem resolves. It could be a real bummer. I read up on the symptoms of trochanteric bursitis and you are right that the symptoms may match mine. If the symptoms persist during my vacation, I'll definitely have to make an appointment with a rheumatologist.