Have you experienced nagging, stubborn hip or back pain that doesn’t seem to line up with any specific injury you can pinpoint? You’re not alone – it’s way more common than you may think!
After all, your hip is a super complex joint.
It’s surrounded by layers and layers of muscle, connective tissue, and nerves that can cause pain in some odd areas (like your back or groin). That's why a hip pain location chart is one of the best tools for understanding what your pain might really mean and where it’s coming from.
In this article, I’ll dive into the muscles that can cause pain in your hips, back, groin, and more, along with providing a hip pain location chart so you can figure out your specific discomfort. I’ll also cover The Claw, a self-message tool that targets deep muscle tension and trigger points in your hip flexors, glutes, and lower back.
A Simple Hip Pain Location Chart to Help You Find the Source
|
Muscle |
Common Referred Pain Location |
Common Cause of Pain |
|
Front hip, groin, and lower abdomen |
||
|
Lower back, groin, and front thigh |
Core weakness + tight hip flexors |
|
|
Outer hip, lower back, and outer thigh |
Pelvic instability + muscle weakness |
|
|
Overuse + sitting for long hours at a time |
||
|
Lateral hip, IT band, and outer knee |
Overuse in runners + poor gait mechanics |
|
|
Quadratus Lumborum (QL) |
Outer hip and lower back |
Side-lying posture + tight lower back |
|
Diagonal across your front thigh |
Athletic strain + prolonged sitting for long hours |
|
|
Deep hip and front thigh |
Overuse in exercises like squats or running |
|
|
Adductors (Longus/Brevis) |
Groin and medial thigh |
Athletic injury + rapid direction changes |
|
Buttocks, sacrum, and lower back |
Lifting strain + poor glute activation |
|
|
Quadratus Femoris |
Deep buttock – could mimic sciatic pain |
Tightness from sitting too long + muscle imbalance |
|
Pectineus |
Upper inner thigh and groin |
Leg lifting + explosive movement + quick turns |
|
Obturator Externus |
Groin and deep hip |
Agility training or sports + active lifestyle |
|
Inner thigh and groin |
Sports + lateral movements like monster walks |
|
|
Lateral hip and deep glute |
Walking uphill + sleeping on the affected side |
|
|
Iliotibial Band (IT Band) |
Outer thigh and hip |
Repetitive motion, like running or cycling |
|
Vastus Lateralis |
Outer upper thigh |
Overuse during squats + leg workouts |
|
Hamstrings (Biceps Femoris) |
Base of your buttocks |
Explosive running + bending + hamstring strain |
|
Superior/Inferior Gemellus |
Deep glute and radiating buttock pain |
Overuse + compression from lifting |
|
Obturator Internus |
Deep glute and hip rotation discomfort |
Lunges + twisting under load |
|
Erector Spinae (lower) |
Sacrum and upper glutes |
Poor spinal posture + extended sitting |
Now, if you want an even simpler version of that same hip pain location chart, check out this chart below, featuring the main muscles we help here at Back Muscle Solutions.
Common Hip Pain Locations (and What Muscles Might Be Behind It)
Let’s take a look at some common areas where hip pain can show up – front, side, and back:
Front of Your Hip and Groin Pain
Pain in the front of your hip or groin can come from having tight hip flexors or quads. These muscles are commonly strained by lots of sitting, poor posture, or overdoing your exercises. [1]
Muscles involved:
→ Iliacus: Deep, constant pain in the front of your hip or groin that feels a little too hard to shake off completely – it can often worsen when you’re sitting or standing for long periods.
Location: Deep inside the front of your hip bone, sitting on the inside surface of your pelvis.
→ Psoas: Persistent pain that may radiate down to your lower back, groin, or even throughout your thigh – it can become aggravated by core exercises, sitting, or standing up too quickly.
Location: Runs from your lower spine through your pelvis to the front of your hip.
→ Rectus Femoris: Sharp, breathtaking pain in the front of your hip or upper thigh that can flare up with some active movements, like squatting, kicking, or running up and down stairs.
Location: Front center of your upper thigh, running from your hip directly to your kneecap.
→ Sartorius: Diagonal pain across the front of your thigh that may have a burning or pulling sensation – it’s triggered by crossing your legs, walking uphill, or rotating your leg outward.
Location: Crosses diagonally from your outer hip down to your inner knee area.
→ Adductor Longus and Brevis: Pinching groin pain that worsens with any leg movements you do in your gym routine, which can cause added strain – specifically lunges or side steps.
Location: Connects your pubic bone to the middle of your femur (AKA your thigh bone).
→ Pectineus: Burning pain in the crease of your hip or high inner thigh that seems ultra-persistent and flares up when attempting to lift your leg or moving too quickly.
Location: Runs from your pubic bone to your upper femur.
→ Obturator Externus: Pesky, sharp groin pain that especially causes issues in athletes who focus on agility with fast movements (like side steps or pivots) or those with an active lifestyle.
Location: Deep within your pelvis, nestled right behind your upper inner thigh.
→ Gracilis: Piercing groin discomfort or radiating tightness that gets worse when playing sports or doing resistance band movements like one of our favorites – the monster walk exercise.
Location: Runs down your inner thigh from your pubic bone to just below your inner knee.
Side of the Hip Pain (Lateral Hip)
Lateral hip pain is linked to stabilizer muscles that keep your pelvis balanced while you stand, walk, or shift your weight from one side to the other. Tightness, weakness, or overuse in these muscles can cause persistent discomfort, instability, and inflammation – like bursitis. [1] [2]
Muscles involved:
→ Gluteus Medius: Aching or stabbing pain in your outer hip that can worsen when you're walking, standing on one leg, or lying on the affected side – can cause a “wobble” when walking.
Location: Outer surface of your pelvis, just below your waistband and above your greater trochanter (AKA the bony point on the side of your hip).
→ Gluteus Minimus: Deep hip pain that mimics bursitis, which is painful swelling of small cushions (bursae) that protect your joints; it can flare up during stair climbing or walking uphill.
Location: Lies beneath your gluteus medius, attaching from your outer pelvis to the top of your femur.
→ Iliotibial Band (IT Band): While not a muscle exactly, IT band tightness can tug on your outer hip and thigh, causing pain with repetitive motion like jogging, cycling, or normal squatting.
Location: Runs from your hip to your outer knee and along the side of your thigh.
→ Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL): Sharp or dull ache along your outer hip, sometimes radiating toward your outer knee – can be triggered by walking, running, or standing with uneven weight.
Location: At the front edge of your outer hip, running from your outer pelvis to the top of your IT band.
→ Vastus Lateralis (part of the quadriceps group): Aching or tightness along the side of your upper thigh – can lead to side hip pain when it’s tight or overused during some leg workouts.
Location: On the outer front of your thigh, running from your hip area to your outer knee.
→ Quadratus Lumborum (QL): Though technically a lower back muscle, tightness here can cause pain to your outer hip and make side-lying positions or walking feel ultra-uncomfortable.
Location: Deep in your lower back, connecting your spine to your pelvis.
Back of the Hip and Buttocks Pain
Pain in the back of your hip and buttocks may often stem from a deep glute or pelvic muscle. These muscles play a large role in stability and movement; when they’re tight or irritated, they can cause radiating, burning, or achy pain – sometimes mimicking sciatica (yoga helps this!). [1]
Muscles involved:
→ Piriformis: Deep, aching pain in the buttock that may radiate down your leg – usually from sciatic nerve compression, which flares up after sitting too long, driving, or during deep squats.
Location: Deep in your buttock, beneath the gluteus maximus, running to the top of your femur.
→ Gluteus Maximus: Soreness or dull ache in your buttocks, often from overuse, heavy lifting, or sprinting – your pain may intensify when you rise from a seated position or climb any stairs.
Location: Covers the back of your hip and buttocks, extending from your pelvis to your upper femur and IT band (note: it’s the largest and most superficial glute muscle in your body).
→ Gluteus Medius (posterior fibers): Though this muscle is also involved in side hip pain, the back fibers of your glute medius can cause some discomfort near your sacrum or upper buttock.
Location: Above and slightly to the outside of your gluteus maximus, near your upper outer buttock and sacrum (note: this is the location of the rear portion of your glute medius muscle).
→ Hamstrings (especially Biceps Femoris): Achy or sharp pain at the base of your buttocks, especially showing up when bending, running, or after explosive, more advanced movements.
Location: Runs along the back of your thigh, from the sitting bones (a pair of rounded bones that extend from the bottom of your pelvis) down to the back of your knee.
→ Quadratus Femoris: Deep, pulling buttock pain that worsens with sitting too long, walking, or doing anything that involves external leg rotation – often mistaken by many for sciatic pain.
Location: Low in your buttock, between the ischial tuberosity (the posterior-inferior aspect of your pelvis, near the bottom of your buttocks) and down to your upper femur.
→ Superior Gemellus and Inferior Gemellus: Small stabilizer muscles that may lead to deep gluteal pain when they’re overused or compressed – common in athletes and weightlifters alike.
Location: Deep in your buttock, on either side of your obturator internus (a hip muscle that helps rotate your leg outward), and tucked just below your glute muscles near your hip joint.
→ Obturator Internus: Another deep rotator that can cause you searing buttock pain, especially when rotating or stabilizing your hip under load (like during lunges or when twisting).
Location: Underneath your glute muscles, running from your inner pelvis out through the back of your hip area.
→ Erector Spinae: Aching or tight pain in your lower back that can spread to your tailbone or upper glutes – often flares up after too much sitting, poor posture, or any back-heavy workouts.
Location: Run vertically along your lower back, with the lower fibers attaching near your sacrum and upper glutes.
Key Muscles to Target With The QL Claw That Can Cause Hip Pain
Many of the muscles we chatted about above don’t just cause pain where they’re at – they refer pain to other nearby areas, sometimes making it hard to pinpoint the source. That’s why muscle release self-massage tools like The QL Claw are so raved about: they’re designed to target deep, hard-to-reach muscles that traditional stretching or foam rolling can’t even begin to touch.
These are some of the most common (and most overlooked) muscles that can cause stubborn hip pain. Click the links for specific, in-depth guides on how to release each one with The Claw:
1) QL: How to release your QL →
2) Iliacus: How to release your iliacus →
3) Psoas: How to release your psoas →
4) Gluteus Medius: Glute medius release guide →
5) Piriformis: Target your piriformis here →
6) Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL): Full guide on your TFL →
Why The QL Claw Beats Other Hip Release Tools
When it comes to self-massage tools, most products on the market are one-trick ponies – built to hit one muscle and leave the rest of your pain practically untouched. They might bring you short-term relief, but if your hip pain stems from multiple tight or overworked muscles (which, to be fully honest, it usually does), you’ll need something a lot more versatile to bring fast relief.
Take the Pso-Rite, for example – it’s mainly designed to hit your psoas but struggles to reach other deeper or surrounding hip muscles like your piriformis, glutes, or QL. The Hip Hook, another tool, zeroes in on your iliacus muscle, which is helpful for a specific type of hip tightness, but it doesn’t address the rest of your mighty (and often misunderstood) hip complex.
Truth be told…
The Claw is in a league of its own – it’s built to support full-body myofascial release, especially getting to those deep, hard-to-reach muscles that most tools miss. From your psoas and iliacus to your glute med, piriformis, and QL, The Claw tackles your entire pain chain. It was even invented in-house by our founder, Ben, after years of dealing with his own chronic pain.
Learn more about how The QL Claw stacks up in this comparison with the Pso-Rite.
You can also see how it compares to the Hip Hook in this deep dive article.
Hear what other people have to say about the QL Claw below.
Shop the QL Claw below!
More Resources to Check Out for Tackling Hip Pain
Check out these additional resources from us here at Back Muscle Solutions on hip pain:
“Internal Hip Rotation Stretches”
“How to Use KT Tape for Hip Pain”
“Relieve Hip Pain While Sleeping”
Hip Flexor Stretch
Hip Pain From Running?
Hip Pain FAQs
How to Identify the Location of Hip Pain?
The easiest way to identify hip pain is by pinpointing where the discomfort radiates! If the front of your hip hurts, it could be from tight hip flexors like the iliopsoas. If you have side hip discomfort, you may be experiencing pain from your glute medius, or it could be bursa-related (a small, fluid-filled sac). Back hip pain usually comes from your piriformis or sacroiliac joint. [1]
A hip pain location chart can help you trace patterns so you know exactly what’s going on.
What Is the Figure 4 Test for Hip Pain?
The Figure 4 Test (or the FABER test) assesses for hip joint, SI joint, or soft tissue dysfunction. While lying down, you cross one ankle over the opposite knee to form a “4”. An examiner gently presses down on your bent knee. Pain in your groin suggests hip joint issues; pain in your outer hip or buttocks may indicate some soft tissue tension, such as in your piriformis or glute medius. [3]
What Are the Red Flags of Hip Pain?
Red flags of hip pain include:
→ Hip pain accompanied by fever
→ Numbness or tingling in your leg or groin
→ Unexplained weight loss and night sweats
→ Pain that persists or worsens during the night
→ Sudden inability to bear any weight or walk normally
→ Visible swelling, redness, or warmth around your hip joint
→ History of cancer, especially if your pain is ultra-deep and persistent
→ Loss of bladder or bowel control (this may suggest some nerve involvement)
→ Trauma or fall, particularly in older people, which could potentially indicate a fracture
→ Clicking or locking sensations, accompanied by sharp pain during certain movements
Where Is Hip Arthritis Pain Located?
Hip arthritis pain is commonly felt in your groin or at the front of your thigh, sometimes radiating to your buttocks or knee. This is due to joint inflammation and cartilage breakdown within your hip capsule. Movements like walking, standing, or even getting out of a car worsen the pain. [4]
What Is the One Leg Test for Hip Pain?
The One Leg Stand Test (also known as the Trendelenburg test) assesses your overall gluteus medius function. Stand on one leg for 30 seconds: if the opposite hip drops or your standing leg gets tired quickly, it can mean weakness or dysfunction in your lateral hip stabilizers. This can contribute to nagging pain in your outer hip and pelvis, especially while walking or running. [5]
What Is the Most Painful Hip Condition?
While it may differ from person to person, most agree that the most painful hip condition is avascular necrosis (AVN). It occurs when the blood supply to your femoral head is disrupted, leading to bone tissue death and causing pain with a limited range of motion. On the muscular side, chronic piriformis syndrome can be severely painful due to sciatic nerve entrapment. [6] [7]
Protip: For muscular pain like piriformis, TFL, or iliacus tension, targeted self-message tools like The Claw can help release deep trigger points that traditional stretches miss, offering real relief.
Resources:
-
Donnelly, Joseph M. Travell, Simons & Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019.