My 66 year old mother had her right hip replaced in May of this year.   She has been very active and doing basically everything she wants since July. She started complaining of her hip bothering her about a month ago.  Now she is in the hospital with pyelonephritis.  In the passed two days, she has said the pain in her hip now severe and is running down her entire right thigh.  Could her hip be infected and causing the pyelonephritis?

Summarized question: Can hip infection cause pyelonephritis?