Osteoarthritis is caused by the premature wearing
away of cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of
long bones.Osteoarthritis has a predilection for
weight-bearing joints such as the neck, low back,
hips, and knees.One of the areas that has gained a lot of
interest in recent years because of its apparent
increased incidence and prevalence, is
osteoarthritis of the hip. Unlike osteoarthritis of
the knee, there is very little correlation with
obesity as far as the initiation of disease.
However, once osteoarthritis has developed,
worsening of symptoms occurs with increasing
adiposity.
There is also a correlation with prior trauma to
the hip as well as the presence of congenital
abnormalities that may predispose the hip to early