Hip Biomechanics

The natural biomechanical processes that take part in the hip joint are crucial to allow weight-bearing and motion. Understanding pathological conditions affecting this process will allow for a proper diagnosis and accurate treatment. The hip joint involves different structures on which action and reaction forces act, which are maintained in a correct balance in a healthy patient. In this chapter, the different anatomical structures involved in hip kinematics are discussed, focusing the study on both their static and dynamic positions. Proper knowledge of the anatomy of the hip joint is of utmost importance in the clinical setting to allow physicians to detect subtle alterations that constitute the basis of the different pathologies that can affect the joint.