ANATOMY OF THE HIP

The hip is one of the biggest joints in the human body and is better known as a ball and socket joint. The ball (head of the femur) sits in the socket (acetabulum, part of the pelvis). The socket consists of a bony part which is surrounded by a thick soft tissue rim known as the labrum.

There are multiple ligaments which form part of the envelope of soft tissue around the hip which also help keep the ball in the socket and stabilise the joint. The hip joint, like most joints, relies on a surface coating of frictionless articular cartilage to enable smooth pain-free movement.

The hip joint consists of two compartments, the central and the peripheral. The central compartment is the area of the hip that contains cartilage and is the space between the ball and socket. Cartilage lesions and labral tears in the compartment can be visualised and treated.

The peripheral compartment is the area of the femoral neck and the hip capsule. In this compartment reshaping of the femoral head can be performed.