An approach to hip pain in a young adult

Hip pain in young adults is not normal and can be severe and disabling, affecting work, parenting, and leisure activities.12 The causes of hip pain in young adults (aged 16-50) tend to receive less attention than those in children (including Perthes’ disease, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and septic arthritis) and in older patients (usually osteoarthritis). Imaging studies might not reveal an underlying problem, even where the patient’s symptoms are a consequence of clinically significant pathology.

Research has improved understanding of the causes of hip pain in young adults, including femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI) and dysplasia of the hip, and has identified new treatments, although evidence is still limited.34 Importantly, both FAI and hip dysplasia are treatable causes of hip pain in young adults.456 This Practice Pointer aims to help the non-specialist evaluate young adults presenting with hip pain, and provides an update on common young adult hip pathologies.