| HIP JOINT |
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The hip joint is composed of a ball and socket joint. The femoral head (ball) is the top of the femur (thigh bone) and the acetabulum (part of the pelvis) is the socket. These surfaces are both covered by articular cartilage, which is a specialised lining allowing smooth pain free motion of the joint. Damage to this lining results in arthritis.
The joint is lined by a specialised synovial layer, which secretes fluid helping with lubrication. Inflammation of this layer is called inflammatory arthritis the most common of which is rheumatoid arthritis.
The labrum is a specialised structure adding to stability of the joint. Damage to this structure can result in catching and pain in the joint. The capsule surrounds the synovium stabilising the joint.
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| Problems in the hip joint that can potentially be treated by Arthroscopic Hip surgery include:- |
- Loose bodies (loose bits of cartilage floating around inside the joint)
- Labral tears (tears of the rim of cartilage surrounding the socket)
- Chondral damage (wear and tear of the layer of cartilage covering the bone)
- Femoro-acetabular impingement (extra lumps of bone catching and rubbing in the joint)
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| There is a wide variety of different symptoms that these pathologies in the hip joint may cause, including:- |
- Pain in the hip (often felt in the groin)
- Clicking within the joint
- Giving way (where the leg just 'gives out')
- Discomfort when moving the hip into certain positions (especially lifting the knee up and rotating the leg inwards)
- Stiffness of the joint
- Difficulty walking or running
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Hip arthroscopy is performed under a Spinal anaesthetic. The patient's leg is strapped into a traction table that gives distraction of the hip joint, pulling the joint open in order to allow the passage of the arthroscope (a small rigid telescope with a digital camera on the end) into the space between the ball (femoral head) and socket (acetabulum) of the joint. Small probes and other specialised instrucments that can be introduced into the hip joint to allow a wide variety of different surgical procedures to be performed.
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| You will go home the same day or stay one night. |
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| Intraoperative x-ray used to help positioning of the arthroscope in the joint |
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| Acetabular Labrum |
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| Ligamentum Teres |
Loose body |
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