I have had pain during the past six weeks on the outside of my left hip. If I lie on my left side I have excruciating pain. My doctor sent me for an X-ray, which was normal. What can this be?

Pain on the side of your hip, made worse by any compression to the area, sounds like bursitis. The body has many bursal sacs that lie over prominent bones. For example, your elbows and knees are covered by bursal sacs. The bursa is a sac of tissue that helps lubricate the soft tissues as they cross over the bones. This tissue is similar to synovial tissue found inside the joints, which helps lubricate the cartilage. Like the synovial tissue inside a joint, the bursal tissue outside the joint covering prominent bones can swell and become painful. The problem associated with the hip is called greater trochanteric bursitis of the hip. A normal X-ray rules out some other sources of pain in the area of the hip such as arthritis, bone tumors or a broken bone, although a stress fracture may be difficult to see on an X-ray. If a stress fracture is suspected, further tests would be required. Another source of pain can be from a disc herniation in your back, which can radiate pain to your hip. A good orthopedic evaluation would be able to sort out the cause of your symptoms. Greater trochanteric bursitis responds well to treatment and rarely requires surgery.