Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooHip Pointer

A hip pointer is a deep bruise (contusion) to the iliac crest, the top curved ridge of the hip bone. If you put your hands on your hips, they rest on top of this bone (UPMC, 2024). The bruising can affect the bone and the soft tissues around it, and blood can collect under the skin to form a haematoma (a pool of blood that causes a large bruise and swelling) (Children's Health, n.d.). The term hip pointer is sometimes also used for an avulsion fracture, where a tendon or muscle pulls a small piece of bone away from where it attaches, or for other fractures at the side of the hip (Grumet et al., 2010).

This part of the hip bone doesn't have much fatty tissue to pad it, so it is easily bruised (UPMC, 2024). Hip pointers can be extremely painful and take some time to heal properly.

Hip pointers are caused by a direct blow or a hard fall onto the hip bone (UPMC, 2024). Contact sports such as football, rugby, hockey, lacrosse, basketball and soccer carry a higher risk, as do sports that involve jumping and landing, such as volleyball, gymnastics and dance (UPMC, 2024). A fall can cause the problem too, such as slipping on a pavement and landing on the curb, and car accidents can also badly bruise the hip (UPMC, 2024).

Hip Pointer Anatomy

The pelvis is the large ring of bone at the base of the spine, and the top curved edge of each side of the pelvis is called the iliac crest. It feels like a bony, lumpy area at the side of your waist. It is this area that gets bruised when you fall directly on it or take a hard knock (UPMC, 2024). Just below the iliac crest is the hip joint, which is a ball and socket joint. There are a number of muscles and ligaments around the hip, including the buttock muscles (gluteal muscles), the groin muscles (adductors), the front thigh muscles (the quadriceps) and the back thigh muscles (the hamstrings). A hip pointer is an injury to the bone and soft tissue at the iliac crest, not to the hip joint itself.

How to Treat Hip Pointers

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

• Once the swelling and pain subside, it's good to start moving your hip and gradually increase your exercise, to keep the muscles flexible and strong (Children's Health, n.d.).
• Avoid rushing back into activities to prevent getting hurt again. If you don't rest, your walking and reaction time may be affected, making another fall or knock more likely (UPMC, 2024).
• You can usually return to your sport when you are not limping, you are not in pain, you feel back to full strength and you have full movement in your hip (UPMC, 2024).
• Most hip pointers heal within a few weeks, although a severe bruise can take longer (UPMC, 2024). If your pain lasts for more than two weeks or gets worse, see a doctor (UPMC, 2024).
• If you have other symptoms after an accident or fall, such as dizziness, nausea or a headache, get medical help straight away: call 911 or go to the emergency room at your nearest hospital.

A hip pointer is a deep bruise on the top ridge of your hip bone, and early on the main job is to let it settle without stirring it up. My aim is to ease the pain, then get your hip and trunk moving and strong again so you can get back to sport safely.

If it's a mild or moderate bruise and you can walk and move without too much pain, I treat it directly. If the pain is severe, you can't put weight on the leg, there's a large swelling, or the pain lasts more than two weeks or is getting worse, see a doctor first, as a fracture may need to be ruled out. Once you've been checked, I provide supportive care alongside your medical team's advice. Please bring any X-ray or scan reports to your first visit.

I start by assessing how your hip, low back and trunk move, how you walk, and the strength of the muscles around your hip.

Early On

• No deep work or warm applications over the bruise while there's a risk of more bleeding
• Gentle work on the low back, other hip and leg, which guard the area and take over, and light lymphatic drainage for swelling
• I'll show you how to use ice and a compression wrap safely at home, and set you up with crutches if you need them

As It Settles

• Gentle hands-on work closer to the bruise and through the hip and trunk muscles
• Pain-free movement and gentle stretching
• Strength work, from gentle holds to bridges, side-lying and standing exercises, with a home programme between visits

Getting Back to Sport

• Heavier hip and trunk strength, including gym-based work
• Running, jumping, landing and change-of-direction drills for your sport

If It's a Severe Injury

1. UPMC (2024) Hip pointer causes, symptoms, and treatments. Available at: https://www.upmc.com/conditions/h/hip-pointer (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. Children's Health (n.d.) Common sports injuries: what is a hip pointer?. Available at: https://www.childrens.com/health-wellness/what-is-a-hip-pointer (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
3. Grumet, R.C. et al. (2010) 'Lateral hip pain in an athletic population: differential diagnosis and treatment options', Sports Health, 2(3), pp. 191–196. doi: 10.1177/1941738110366829.