OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE HIP

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and the hip is the second most commonly affected joint.

Everyone’s joints go through a normal cycle of wear and repair during their lifetime. As your joints repair themselves, their shape and structure can change. If this happens in one or more of your joints, it’s known as osteoarthritis.

Your hip joint consists of a ball at the top of the thigh bone, which fits into a socket in your pelvis. The ends of both bones in a joint are covered by a smooth slippery surface, known as cartilage. This is the soft but tough tissue that allows the bones to move against each other without friction.

Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage in your hip joint to become thinner and the surfaces of the joint to become rougher. This can cause swelling, pain and stiffness, but not everyone will have these symptoms.

The exact cause of osteoarthritis is often not known, as there can be quite a few reasons why a person develops the condition. These include the genes inherited from your parents and the shape of your hips.