The hip joint

Abstract

The hip is a ball and socket joint with considerable freedom of movement.Loss of hip movement can be compensated by pelvic and spinal movement.Hip deformity can be masked by compensation in the lumbar spine and pelvis.This forms the basis of the Thomas' test (see below).Pelvic movement has to be eliminated to test true movement in the hip. The hip can be affected by a multitude of conditions and forms the basis of this chapter. Hip fractures, which would fall under the category of Trauma, will be dealt with in a separate section.