Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint wherein your thighbones meet your pelvis. Normally, each of your two hip joints glides smoothly within the socket, allowing smooth movement and mobility. However, hip problems can arise due to sports, traumatic injury, or wear-and-tear of the hip socket cartilage.
This often leads to what is called hip impingement, which is medically referred to as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). It is known to be one of the major causes of early osteoarthritis of the hip. It is an abnormal contact between the ball and socket of the hip joint, resulting in increased friction upon hip movements – which causes further damage to the joint.
Patients who suffer from hip impingement tend to experience pain in the groin area after prolonged sitting or walking.
What Causes Hip Impingement?
Hip pain in adults is often associated with osteoarthritis in the joint. However, there are many young patients with hip pain which is caused by subtle bony and soft-tissue abnormalities that can lead to premature arthritis. Hip impingement often occurs when the ball and socket of the hip joint don’t fit together properly and have one or more of these impediments, which can restrict motion and cause pain.
In hip impingement, there is a bone overgrowth or bone spurs that develop around the femoral head, which is the top of the femur (upper leg bone) that fits naturally into the hip socket. This creates abnormal contact between the hip bones, so the joint doesn’t move smoothly. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can result in tears of the labrum and breakdown of the cartilage which causes arthritis.
What Is the Treatment?
There are various ways to treat hip impingement, and here are some of them:
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a nonsurgical treatment for hip pain by doing specific exercises. With the help of physical therapy, patients can strengthen their muscles that support the joint and thereby relieve stress placed upon it when moving.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
To manage pain, an orthopedic doctor may prescribe prescription-strength pain reliever to help in reducing inflammation. The physician may also recommend activity changes to lessen your symptoms.
Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical treatment for those suffering from femoroacetabular impingement. This arthroscopic procedure involves a small incision and a small camera function to view inside the hip so that the doctor can repair or clean out damage to the cartilage and labrum.
Symptoms of Hip Impingement
The most common signs and symptoms of hip impingement include stiffness, limping, and pain. The pain usually occurs in the groin area, but the pain may radiate outside the hip. This condition causes its most obvious symptoms when turning, squatting, or twisting the hip, which can also cause a sudden pain.
Hip Doctors in the Dakotas
If your bones, joints, or muscles are injured or are causing chronic pain, you need to seek the best orthopedic care. The experienced medical staff here at The Bone & Joint Center offers everything from noninvasive treatments to surgery at our offices throughout North Dakota.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, call us today at (800) 424-2663 or complete our easy-to-use online form now. We look forward to helping you get back to the active lifestyle you enjoy!
