Hip impingement

Impingement is when soft tissues around a joint are squeezed between two or more hard/bony structures with activity/movement of that joint. It is a finding which most commonly affects the shoulder more than the hip due to the large range of motion of these ball joints. Impingement can be suspected by MRI when the involved bony structures show pattern of injury or the adjacent soft tissues are squeezed which results in inflammation. However impingement is best detected by a physical exam where the limb is moved either actively or passively. For example hip impingement can be identified by having difficulty moving the leg out laterally.