What Is a Hip?
Hips are basically the areas on both sides of your pelvis. The pelvis consists of three parts:
Ilium. The wide, expanding part of the pelvis.
Pubis. The lower and the back part of the pelvis.
Ischium. 1 of the bones, which help in the forming of the hip.
Hip Joint
Let us discuss in detail about the anatomy of hip joints. The hip joint is basically the ball & the socket joint, which allows movement, and also provides the stability required for body weight support. The socket-area (i.e. the acetabulum) is inside the pelvis. The ball portion of this joint is the upper part of the femur (which is the thigh bone). It joins the socket-area to form the hip joint. This particular joint happens to be one of the most stable joints in a person’s body. However, as the hips bear most of your weight, they are majorly prone to develop arthritis due to this extra pressure. Hip pain can be caused by damage to the muscles, tendons or small fluid sacs (bursae), which cushion the joints & even lubricate them.
Most Commonly Occurring Hip Diseases
The following are the most commonly occurring hip diseases:
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of hip tissue breakdown. 3 types of arthritis most commonly affect the hip area:
Osteoarthritis. Also called the "wear-&-tear" arthritis. This arthritis type may damage the cartilages that cushion the hip bones and protect them from any wear & tear. This allows the bones for rubbing together, causing pain as well as stiffness.
Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is also one of the mostly common hip diseases, which causes irritation of the lining of the joint (or the synovium membrane) as well as the secretion of excess fluid. This can damage the cartilages, causing pain as well as leading to joint stiffness.
Traumatic Arthritis. This is often caused due to some injury/fracture.
Bursitis
In this hip problem, the sac (bursa) filled with joint fluid tends to become inflamed. The bursa acts as a sliding surface, thus reducing the amount of friction between the tissues. There are two main bursae in hips. Both of these can lead to hip stiffness as well as pain experienced in the hip joint:
Trochanteric Bursa. A bursa on the hip side & separated from the actual hip joint by tissue & bone.
Iliopsoas Bursa. Bursa that is in the upper region of the buttocks.
Other Common Hip Diseases
Other common hip diseases are given underneath:
Avascular Necrosis. This medical condition leads to thinning of the bones due to insufficient blood supply. It can even be a result of injuries or bone-tumors. This can even cause fracture in the hip joint.
Hip Pointer. A tear or bruise inside the muscles, which are attached to the top of the ilium. The ilium is the crown of the pelvis area just below the waist region. A whiplash can be caused by a blow, a fall, or a rapid twisting or turning of the body.
Contact 1Health Medical Center
Hip Diseases need special care. You can contact 1Health Medical Center to get the best medical assistance for your condition.