You can tell if your hip is deteriorating by the signs and symptoms.
The signs and symptoms of a deteriorating hip include groin and thigh pain, stiffness, especially with morning stiffness, reduced mobility and a limp that is often accompanied by difficulty with daily tasks such as bending or getting up from a chair and sometimes a grinding or even popping sensation, which indicate potential osteoarthritis and even cartilage loss.
When a hip is deteriorating the pain is often felt deep in your groin, front of your hip or thigh and can sometimes even radiate to your buttocks or knee.
A feeling of the hip being stuck, especially after rest or in the morning, which requires time to warm up and difficulty bending your hip, putting on socks or getting into a car and even possibly a noticeable limp or instability when walking.
You might also notice sounds of clicking, catching or locking or a grinding and grating feeling during movement with a deteriorating hip and discomfort can worsen with prolonged walking, running, pivoting or impact.
Other signs of a deteriorating hip are weakness, pain with sitting and referred pain, which can sometimes be felt in the lower back or knee.
The signs of a weak hip are limping, hip and or lower back pain, a swayed or hitch gait, like swinging the hip outwards, knee pain, knee caving in and difficulty in climbing stairs or standing.
Other common signs of a weak hip include clicking or snapping sounds, reduced range of motion and hip instability, and even compensation by overuse of the lower back or knee muscles.
The key signs of weak hips are altered gait and posture, which a noticeable leak of your upper body towards the weak side, when walking, which is known as a limp or the compensatory sway.
Pain that often radiates to your lower back, buttocks or the front/side of the hip.
Knee instability, in which the knee on the affected side of the weak hip may cave inward during squats, movements or walking as well as significant trouble with climbing of stairs, rising from a chair or walking for long periods and stiffness, reduced range of motion and clicking or snapping sensation also known as crepitus.
And even tightness or a feeling of pulling in your hip, which can cause the surrounding muscles to overcompensate.
You can tell if you have weak hip flexors by doing simple tests like the leg raise hold, by struggling to keep your knee lifted to your chest without dropping.
Sit with your lower back against the wall, then lift one thigh towards your chest as high as you comfortably can, then try to hold it their for 15 or more seconds without your foot dropping or your back arching.
And if you have difficulty holding the position or the leg drops quickly then it's a sign of weak hip flexors.
Lack of hip mobility can cause back pain as lack of hip mobility is a major cause of lower back pain, because lack of hip mobility forces your lumbar spine to compensate for the restricted movement, which leads to increased stress and muscle imbalances as well as potential injury.
And when your hips are tight, particularly in the extension and rotation, your lower back works harder which results in pain.
If your hips are not able to move properly during daily activities or during exercise, your lumbar spine will compensate by rotating or bending more than it normally should, which causes strain.
Having good hip mobility is also crucial for the expression of normal low back function, which is mainly because of how close they are together.
To test for internal hip rotation you can use the Seated Hip Rotation test.
To test for the internal hip rotation using the seated hip rotation test, sit tall on a chair edge, which your feet dangling and your knees at 90 degrees.
Then keep your torso still and lift one foot slightly and rotate the foot and lower leg outwards, "internally rotating the femur" as far as possible.
And observe.
Aim for around 30 degrees of outward rotation, if limited it then suggests tightness or weakness.
Some reasons for your hips not having any internal rotation are from chronic tightness in your external rotator muscles, like your piriformis muscles, a stiff posterior hip capsule, weak internal rotator muscles or TFL/adductors and even due to structural limitations like bony impingement.
Even prolonged sitting or prolonged standing with excessive external rotation, "toes out" are also common and primary causes of having no hip internal rotation.
Muscles like your piriformis and deep glutes become overactive and lock your femur in an outwardly rotated position and even a tight rear hip capsule can restrict the joint from allowing your femur to glide backward, which is required for internal hip rotation.
Also the muscles that are responsible for internal rotation of the hip, like the Tensor Fasciae Latae and adductor muscles are also often underused or even too weak to counteract the tight external rotators.
When hip rotation is missing , the knees also often absorb the rotational force, which can lead to pain, or it can also contribute to lower back issues.
The nerve that controls hip internal rotation is the superior gluteal nerve (L4–S1).
The hips internal rotation is controlled mainly by the superior gluteal nerve (L4–S1) nerve, which also innervates the gluteus medius, the gluteus minimus and the tensor fasciae latae.
These muscles are also responsible for rotating your thigh inward.
Other nerves like your femoral nerve, via pectineus may also assist n internal hip rotation.
The superior gluteal nerve (L4–S1) is what innervates your gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fasciae latae, which are the key internal rotators.
And the gluteus minimus, "anterior fibers", gluteus medius, "anterior fibers, and the tensor fasciae latae are what perform hip internal rotation.
And the assistant nerves like the obturator nerve also helps to stabilize, while your anterior femoral nerve branches provide additional muscular support for internal rotation.
The hip internal rotation, is the inward twisting of the thigh bone, also known as the femur within the hip socket.
Hip internal rotation is also crucial for daily movements like squatting, walking and even pivoting, which allows for smooth gait and prevents lower back pain and knee pain by moving your foot inward relative to your body.
Having limited internal hip rotation, which is often due to tight hip capsules or weak rotators leads to compensation as well as causes pain and dysfunction and improving it involves using targeted stretching and strengthening exercises to regain motion once again.
The reason hip internal rotation matters is because it allows for movement and allows for you to rotate your thigh bone or femur towards your body's midline.
Internal hip rotation has a normal range of around 30 to 46 degrees, which is essential for stability and alignment and it allows you to put on shoes, walk, climb stairs, play sports and sit comfortably.
The consequences of a lack of internal hip rotation are back pain, knee pain, "knees tracking inward" shorter strides and flat feet.
Common signs of limited internal hip rotation include knee pain, lower back pain, feet turning inwards when walking and difficulty in squatting deeply.
To improve your internal hip rotation you can do some exercises like quadrupled band assisted internal rotation, face down feet opens, side planks and stretching.