Apart from hip pain which is caused by a specific injury or an arthritic hip joint, most pains in the hip, groin or top of the leg are caused by a mechanical overload from a problem elsewhere.

This will usually be from the lower back or pelvis, but can be from the knee or even the foot.

Recurring groin strains are common in sports people, especially footballers, and a twisted pelvis is often the root problem, which causes a weakness and an overload of the muscles and tendons in the groin.

Pain in this area often makes walking very difficult and patients often "seize up" if they have been sitting for too long.