[Hip joint contractures, leg length discrepancies, and spinopelvic alignment: impact on the development of osteoarthritis of the hip?].

Hip joint problems are common in every-day orthopedic practice. At the age of 60, approximately 5% of the German population suffer from symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip. One of the main trigger is the morphological abnormality of the joint. Causes may also be overloading of the joint, developmental dysplasia of the hip with reduced coverage, as well as femoral or acetabular malpositioning, for example. The impact of hip joint contractures, leg length discrepancies, and the spinopelvic alignment and their prophylactic treatment in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood are discussed here.