Clinical Diagnosis in Hip Disease

Hip disease in the sporting young adult patient has traditionally been difficult to accurately diagnose. It is not uncommon for patients to have been given more than one diagnosis and several modalities of treatment before the true pathology is found. A systematic approach including history, examination and specialist investigations will give the highest possible chance of accurate diagnosis. However, our knowledge of hip pathology and its causative factors is still evolving and therefore the standard hip examination learnt during early medical training should now be replaced with a more thorough set of questions and clinical tests suited for active young adults.