Synonyms
Femoro acetabular impingement (FAI)
Definition of hip impingement
A hip impingement is a hip joint that has been altered by anatomical or structural circumstances, resulting in painful restrictions of movement.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of hip impingement are initially movement-related pain. These occur mainly when the leg is turned outwards or when the leg is bent. Jumping movements can also cause severe pain in impingement syndrome.
The onset of a hip impingement syndrome is sometimes not or only weakly perceived by the patient. At the beginning of the disease, the symptoms only occur during heavy physical exertion and disappear as soon as a resting situation occurs. As a result, patients usually do not pursue the first symptoms.
Only when the pain becomes stronger and occurs at times even at rest do patients seek medical attention. The pain is described as stabbing and pulling, it can be of strong to very strong intensity. In advanced stages, pain at rest can also occur.
Restrictions of movement also occur. For example, movements such as turning the leg outwards or lifting the leg are no longer possible or only possible to a limited extent, usually triggered by pain. A classic restriction in daily life is climbing uphill or downhill and sitting down, which usually causes particularly severe pain.
Depending on how far the damage has already progressed, the structures surrounding the hip joint are also affected. These include irritation and impairment of the nerves and blood vessels. In extreme cases, an impingement syndrome can also lead to sensitivity disorders in the hip and leg area (nerves). Furthermore, there may also be undersupply, especially of the femoral head, which is supplied by a small vessel that enters the bone at the tip of the head. If the blood supply to the femoral head is impaired over a longer period of time, necrosis of the femoral head can occur, which, in addition to very severe pain, makes it necessary to replace the femoral head immediately with an endoprosthesis.