Causes of hip pain in young adults

Question: I have pain in my hip. What could be causing it?

Answer: It used to be felt that people got hip arthritis as they got older, simply because they were getting older. However, as modern orthopedics has begun to focus on the causes of arthritis it has been found that many of these can be identified early in the adolescent and young adult patient and can potentially be treated and possibly delay the onset of end-stage arthritis.

One of the newest concepts in the area of hip evaluation and management is the concept of femoral acetabular impingement. This refers to the pinching of the upper thigh bone (femur) against the hip socket (acetabulum), which can result in damage to the lining of the hip joint (cartilage) and the acetabular labrum. The acetabular labrum is a structure that extends from the rim of the hip socket and is made of fibrocartilage which is very similar to the cartilage that one finds in your ear. This is a very important structure which helps maintain the fluid in the hip, keeping it well lubricated and prevents the two surfaces from touching one another.

This impingement can result in damage to the hip cartilage and tearing of the acetabular labrum and subsequently pain. These two phenomena can lead to degeneration of the joint, leading to pain and ultimately early arthritis. If necessary, hip impingement can be treated with surgery in the form of minimally invasive, hip arthroscopy where damage inside the hip joint is managed through tiny incisions, using a surgical telescope.