There are a number of diseases for which x-rays aid or establish the diagnosis. For example, lung infections, bone spurs and fractured hips. The latter, according to Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine is commonly due to osteoporosis, a...
Infant hip dislocation can be an unexpected diagnosis following birth. A dislocated hip is a type of birth defect that requires treatment to prevent disability and permanent damage to the hip. Fortunately, this condition is relatively easy to...
The two bones that comprise the hip joint are the thigh bone, or femur, and the acetabulum, a concave depression in the pelvic bone. The head of the femur is dome-shaped and fits into the pocket made by the acetabulum. The hip is a ball-and-socket...
Pain at the side of the hip and radiating down to the knee is often due to trochanteric bursitis. The trochanter is part of the femur near the hip joint, and a bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions the bone which can become inflamed due to...
Gymnasts must be able to present themselves gracefully as well as exert a lot of power during their routines. As a result, gymnasts often find themselves nursing pains and injuries. According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,...
Osteoporosis is a loss of bone mineral density; having osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures that can occur spontaneously or from a fall. Osteoporosis is more common in women, because they have less dense bones than men, especially after...
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint capable of six different motions. The uppermost part of the thigh bone, or femoral head, fits nicely into a cup called the acetabulum. When it does not due to muscle imbalances, abnormalities occur. Also,...
A popping hip can occur while walking and is most common in dancers and young athletes, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This condition is known as snapping hip and causes a snapping -- or popping -- sound in your hip...
A hamstring contusion, or bruise, signals an injury to the back of the thigh. The biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus make up the hamstring muscles. You use them to bend your knee back and whenever you extend your hip. Athletes and...
Hip fractures can be devastating injuries, especially in the elderly. According to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, only 25 percent of hip fracture patients make a full recovery, while a staggering 24 percent of those over 50 who...
Bones slowly get weaker as people age after hitting a peak bone density some time in a person's 30s. As bone strength decreases, the risk of broken bones rises. For some, the loss of bone density is enough to warrant a diagnosis of osteoporosis or...
A physical examination of a baby by a doctor is a standard procedure after any birth. Babies at risk of having a hip dislocation should be checked specifically for symptoms associated with the condition. A doctor can examine a baby for hip...
Often it takes a methodical approach to pinpoint the cause of pain. With the wide spectrum of disorders and disease that can affect the joints, muscles and bones, finding the cause can take time. If your pain is characterized by joint or muscle...
Lumbar scoliosis is a disorder of the spine in which the lower back, or lumbar area of the spine, is curved to the left or right. This can occur at birth in congenital scoliosis, or in adulthood as a result of neuromuscular disease or another...
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, or Perthes disease, is a condition where the top part of the thigh bone temporarily does not get adequate blood supply. This causes the ball-shaped part of the hip bone to die. This condition occurs in children and the...
Hip pain is among the more difficult conditions to diagnose, since pain can originate in a number of areas and from a variety of causes. Pain can range from a dull aching in the hip joint to sharp pain that runs from the lower back and through the...
To understand a bone density test, you must know how the test is performed, how the results are interpreted and who is recommended as a candidate for the procedure. If your doctor has recommended that you have the test, you will require only...
According to brighthub.com, for partial hip replacement, or hemiarthroplasty, the healthy part of the joint remains intact. A metal prosthesis replaces the diseased, or broken part. Usually, for partial hip replacements, a stainless steel or...
Bone density tests (also known as bone mineral density tests) are used to assess the health of a patient's bones. These tests are often used to help diagnose bone loss and osteoporosis. Although some reduction in bone mineral density is expected...
Bone bruising was a phenomenon that was not observed prior to magnetic resonance imaging, according to the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery & Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. Bone marrow edema and bone bruising appear the same on...
Bone cancer can affect any bone in the body, including the hip bone. Primary hip bone cancer originates in the bone, and secondary hip bone cancer starts in another organ, like the liver or lung, and spreads to the hip. If a patient's cancer is...
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that allows the thigh to bend and rotate. Contrary to what you might think, injury to the hip socket itself is not considered a "hip fracture," but rather injury to the upper part of the femur (thigh) bone.
The hip joint is located near the top of the femur bone, called the femoral head. When the upper end of the femur become cracked or broken, the injury is referred to as a hip fracture. Hip fractures are most often associated with the infirm or the...
Hip pain can prevent you from work, exercise or doing the things you enjoy. There are many things that can cause hip pain, from illness to injury. A vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to hip pain. The National Institutes of Health Office of...
The connection of two bones in the lower spine forms the sacroiliac joints. The sacrum, which sits beneath the lumbar region, is a triangular-shaped bone with five fused vertebrae. The sacrum is wedged between the two pelvis (iliac) bones. The...
Osteoporosis is the result of the bones of the body weakening due to reduced bone density. Osteoporosis can lead to bones fracturing easily, resulting in pain and decreased mobility. A bone density test allows physicians to confirm suspected...
One simple way to measure body frame is to measure the circumference of the wrist or ankle. To measure bone density would require a doctor's office appointment to get a X-ray scan to measure the hips and spine. Less common is to have a peripheral...
If you have hip pain while walking, it could be due to a number of reasons. Sometimes the pain is felt only at the point of the hip, but it can also extend into the leg or low back. The pain may be sharp and intense, or it may be described as...
Degenerative arthritis of the hip can be very debilitating and painful. More often that not, the progression of arthritis is slow and can take considerable time to build up to a level of severity so as to severely limit mobility and function....