You never realize how much you rely on your hips functioning the way they should until one or both of them hurt. Suddenly, everyday tasks are difficult or even impossible to manage. While millions of people across the United States experience hip pain, causes vary widely. Here are five of the most common causes of hip pain. Muscle Strain Pulled muscles, usually your groin or hamstring, can present as hip pain. If the pain appeared suddenly after a bout of exercise, you may have strained a muscle. You may not consider muscle strains serious injuries, but they can take months to heal, and severe strains sometimes require surgery. Mild strains generally heal on their own after a few weeks of the RICE treatment: rest, ice, compression and elevation. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns or the strain does not seem to be healing. Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis occurs as the...