Symptoms
The symptoms of cartilage damage in the hip joint are typical of joint damage in this area. These include: If they are based on a chronic disease, the symptoms often occur periodically. In some weeks or months, the pain is extremely severe, whereas in other weeks the symptoms are well tolerable. If such or similar symptoms are present, the attending physician should always be consulted so that the problem can be recognized and, if necessary, remedied.
- Pain, which is often dependent on load and position
- A “cracking” in the joint, with or without associated pain
- Pain in the night
- A feeling of instability of the hip joint
- Restrictions of movement in the joint
- Swelling and other signs of inflammation such as warming, and redness.
Diagnosis
If cartilage damage to the hip joint is suspected, a specialist in orthopedics or general medicine is called in.A detailed anamnesis of the affected person is important for the diagnosis, because only in this way certain diseases can be excluded. Here it is decisive whether the pain is directly related to an accident and when or how long the pain has been occurring. The doctor will perform some tests and examine the stability and mobility.
X-rays can also be taken, but the cartilage tissue cannot be assessed on these. Only other diseases can be excluded. Therefore, an MRI of the hip (magnetic resonance imaging) is usually performed.
If necessary, a contrast medium is also injected into the hip in order to be able to assess damage more accurately. However, in most cases an arthroscopy is necessary to establish the final diagnosis. According to the International Cartilage Repair Society, there are different degrees of severity for the classification of cartilage damage: Grade 0: (normally) healthy cartilage tissueGrade 1: The cartilage has soft spots or blistersGrade 2: Small damage to the cartilage is visibleGrade 3: Damage with gap formation (in more than 50% of the cartilage tissue in the joint)Grade 4: The damage to the cartilage extends to the underlying bone and exposes it According to this classification, the appropriate therapy is determined for the respective patient.
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