Pain around the hip (groin ,buttock or over the greater trochanter) should never be assumed to originate from the actual hip joint unless sources of referred pain or local non-joint pain such as a slipped disc with nerve irritation or iliotibial band tendinitis have been eliminated. Hip problems in young adults are often due to muscle injuries, tendon injuries, bursitis or, more rarely, nerve entrapment.
Until recently hip impingement and injuries of the hip labrum were not recognized as common causes of hip and groin pain in young adults. MRI scan technology and hip arthroscopy have changed this situation and we now regularly diagnose patients with these conditions. Unfortunately, conservative treatment is rarely successful and delaying surgery may cause joint cartilage loss, which will accelerate the development of arthritis. The treatment involves partial removal or repair of the diseased labrum (cartilage awning) around the acetabulum (cup of the hip joint) as well as refashioning of the excessively egg-shaped head of the femur into a more normal round shape.
Cartilage damage due to causes such as bacterial infection, tuberculosis, fractures of the hip or inflammatory arthritis during childhood also usually leads to early-onset arthritis. This requires similar treatment to that discussed for elderly patients.
