Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Hip Injuries and Disorders
Your hip is the joint where your femur (thigh bone) meets your pelvis (hip bone). There are two main parts: a ball at the end of the femur, which fits in a socket in the pelvis. Your hip is known as a ball-and-socket joint. This is because you have a ball at the end of your femur, and it fits into a socket in your pelvis. This makes your hips very stable and allows for a wide range of motion. When they are healthy, it takes great force to hurt them. However, playing sports, running, overuse, or falling can sometimes lead to hip injuries such as:
- Strains
- Bursitis
- Dislocations
- Fractures (broken bones)
Certain diseases also lead to hip injuries or problems. Osteoarthritis can cause pain and limited motion. Osteoporosis of the hip causes weak bones that break easily. Both of these are common in older people.
Another problem is hip dysplasia, where the ball at the end of the femur is loose in the hip socket. It can cause hip dislocation. Babies who have hip dysplasia are usually born with it, but sometimes they develop it later.
Treatment for hip disorders may include rest, medicines, physical therapy, or surgery, including hip replacement.
It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles and Injuries and Wounds.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Hip Injuries and Disorders
534 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Evaluating the Efficacy of a Mobile Application in Postoperative RehabilitationYale University
- G7 Acetabular System With Vivacit-E or Longevity Liner PMCF StudyZimmer Biomet
- The PREVENT Trial: a Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Multifaceted Fracture Prevention Model for Long-term CareMcMaster University
- Effectiveness of the Delirium Zero Protocol to Prevent the Onset of Delirium in Patients Undergoing Hip Fracture SurgeryCardenal Herrera University
- Computer-Assisted Comparison of Hip Socket Volume and Surface Shape After Pediatric Acetabular OsteotomiesIstanbul University
- IRONCARE: Iron Treatment in Older Patients With Hip FracturesUniversity of Aarhus
Research already completed
- Normative Radiographic Parameters and Growth Curve of Hips Less Than Six Weeks of Gestational Age Using UltrasoundUniversity of California, San Francisco
- Can we 'Hear' Femoral Neck Fractures? Ultrasound Guided Diagnosis of Femoral Neck FracturesFrisius Medisch Centrum
- Geriatric Lateral Compression 1 Pelvic FracturesHealthPartners Institute
- A 12 Months Prospective Study Comparing Functional Outcome Scores in Hip Arthroscopic Labral Repair Versus DebridementAin Shams University
- Comparison of the Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Supra-inguinal Fascia Iliaca and Lumbar Erector Spina Plan Block in Hip FracturesSehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital
- Is Periacetabular Osteotomy Superior to Progressive Resistance Training?University of Aarhus
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Diagnosis and Tests
- Bone X-RayRadiological Society of North America
- Direct ArthrographyRadiological Society of North America
- Hip PainMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Hip ProblemsAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Hip UltrasoundRadiological Society of North America
- Musculoskeletal MRIRadiological Society of North America
- Musculoskeletal UltrasoundRadiological Society of North America
- X-Ray Exam: Hip (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
Treatments and Therapies
- Hip Replacement: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Preventing Falls and Hip FracturesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Living With
- Hip Rehabilitation ExercisesAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Mobility Aids: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Femoral Neck FracturesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hip DislocationNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hip FracturesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hip InjuriesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: PelvisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Pelvic Bones, Hip Dislocation, Hip Fractures, Hip Injuries, Femoral Neck Fractures. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Hip Injuries and Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.