Hip Issues

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) occurs in the hip joint. Impingement refers to some portion of the soft tissue around the hip socket getting pinched or compressed. Femoroacetabular tells us the impingement is occurring where the femur (thigh bone) meets the acetabulum (hip socket). There are two different types of impingement. They differ slightly depending on what gets pinched and where the impingement occurs.

Bones are living tissue, and like all living tissues they rely on blood vessels to bring blood to keep them alive. Most living tissues have blood vessels that come from many directions into the tissue. If one blood vessel is damaged it may not cause problems, since there may be a backup blood supply coming in from a different direction. Certain joints of the body, however, have only a few blood vessels that bring in blood. One of these joints is the hip. This document will describe what happens ...

The thigh bone, or femur is the longest and strongest bone of the body. It takes a lot of force to break the femur in an adult so it is often accompanied by other injuries. The fracture is a disabling problem, severely limiting mobility until it is stabilized.Until recently the most common way to treat a fractured femur was to apply traction, the source of a thousand cartoons and jokes. Fortunately, modern treatment usually stabilizes the bone quite early on and allows you to move around on crut...

A common spot for bursitis is on the side of the hip. Here a large tendon passes over the bony bump on the side of the hip. The bony bump is called the greater trochanter. Inflammation in the bursa between the tendon and the greater trochanter is called trochanteric bursitis. This problem is common in older individuals. It may also occur in younger patients who are extremely active in exercises such as walking, running, or biking.

Stress fractures of the hip once most commonly affected military personnel who marched and ran day after day. Today, stress fractures of the hip are more common in athletes, especially distance runners.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common problem for many people after middle age. OA is sometimes referred to as degenerative, or wear-and-tear, arthritis. OA commonly affects the hip joint. In the past, little was done for the condition. Now doctors have many ways to treat hip OA so patients have less pain, better movement, and improved quality of life.

As the population ages, the number of hip fractures that occur each year rises. A fracture of the hip in an aging adult is not simply a broken bone. It is a life-threatening illness. The hip fracture itself is rarely a difficult problem to solve. But once the fracture occurs, it brings with it all the potential medical complications that can arise when aging patients are confined to bed. The complications are what can turn a simple break into a life-threatening illness.

Hip surgeries such as total joint replacement and hemiarthroplasty require the surgeon to open the hip joint capsule. This puts the hip at risk of dislocating after surgery. Patients follow special precautions after surgery about which hip positions and movements need to be avoided to keep the hip from dislocating. While you are in the hospital, your health care team will remind you often about the need to follow these hip precautions. Once you get home, you will have to remember to follow these...