[Rotational abnormalities of the hip joint]

Changes or limitations of the rotational range of motion of the hip are a non-specific clinical sign. There is a big variety of underlying morphological pathologies resulting in a symptomatic alteration of hip rotation. They need to be assessed by imaging techniques: based on plain radiographs (including specialized projections), often CT or MRI are necessary to visualize the underlying changes of shape, rotation and offset of the articulating surfaces, which might result in a painful "femoroacetabular impingement" as a trigger of secondary osteoarthritis. Highly sophisticated MR-arthrography-protocols are able to visualize conventionally "obscure" but biomechanically relevant morphological changes, that might be individually normalized by joint-preserving corrective surgery.