What Is a Hip Pointer?
Dr. Charles Preston explains what a hip pointer is and how it is treated.
Question: What is a hip pointer?
Answer: A hip pointer is an injury that typically occurs in contact athletes. What happens in a hip pointer is that there is typically a contusion in the iliac crest of the hip. What happens in this area, and why it is so painful, is that cluneal nerves run right over the iliac crest of the pelvis. Nerves are contused and this causes a sharp pain.
What complicates things is that a hematoma can also occur with this injury causing extra pressure which also causes extra pain.
To treat a hip pointer, usually for the first 48 hours we recommend rest, ice and compression. After 48 hours you can begin to mobilize again and play to tolerance.
This injury usually keeps an athlete out from between one to six weeks and you should check with your athletic trainer is you suffer a hip pointer.
