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Problems With the Hip Joint

The hip joint connects the thigh bone or femur to the pelvic girdle, the large bone structure that makes up your lower back and sit bones. Problems with the hip joint may result from disease, strain due to overuse or damage in a fall or other impact injury. Hip joint pain or stiffness can cause difficulty sitting or standing for long periods of time, walking short or long distances, and getting up from or down to a chair.

  1. Arthritis

    • This is a blanket term covering osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and even lupus. The common factor among these illnesses is joint inflammation and deterioration due to age or an autoimmune disease.

    Avascular Necrosis

    • Avascular necrosis occurs when blood flow to the cartilage and bone has been decreased or blocked. A lack of blood supply causes tissue death. The most common causes are hip fracture or dislocation. It can also result from long-term alcohol or medicine use, sickle cell anemia, gout or lupus.

    Bone Cancer

    • Bone cancer is another blanket term since bone cancer can occur anywhere in the body. A tumor can occur on or near the ball joint making walking difficult if not impossible.

    Hip Fracture

    • A broken hip joint can occur during a fall or during some other impact injury. This type of fracture is common among suffers of osteoporosis because the bones become thin and brittle and are more likely to break if impacted.

    Legg-Calve-Perthes Syndrome

    • Legg-Calve-Perthes syndrome most often occurs in children between the ages of three and 12. The disease involves temporary avascular necrosis of the femur head. When blood supply is restored, the hip and femur may heal in a deformed state, causing leg pain, difficulty moving and even muscle spasms.

    Osteoporosis

    • Osteoporosis is a loss of bone mass over time making the bones brittle and more likely to fracture. It can be controlled by exercise and calcium supplements but is a permanent disease that must be controlled over the lifetime of the patient. However, a form of transient osteoporosis occurs in middle-aged men and pregnant women. As the word "transient" suggests, this form of osteoporosis is temporary and repairs itself over time.

    Sciatica

    • The pelvic girdle into which the hip joint fits contains the lumbar region of the spinal cord and the sciatic nerve bundle. When the sciatic nerve becomes pinched due to a ruptured or bulging disc, the pain can radiate from the lower back down the hip and leg.

    Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis

    • If the upper end of the femur slips at the growth plate, the bone is no longer capable of fitting into the hip joint socket. The disease mostly occurs between the ages of eight and 16 and is treatable and correctable if detected early. Undiagnosed or untreated slipped capital femoral epiphysis can result in degenerative arthritis at the hip.

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