{"id":166999,"date":"2026-07-27T10:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T10:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/?p=166999"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:05:07","slug":"hip-examination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/fr\/blog\/hip-examination\/","title":{"rendered":"Hip examination: A complete clinical guide for practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n
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Hip examination follows a systematic sequence: history, inspection, palpation, range of motion, special tests, and neurovascular assessment.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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The FADIR test has approximately 88% sensitivity for femoroacetabular impingement and acetabular labral tears, making it one of the highest-yield provocation tests.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Normal hip ROM values differ by direction: flexion 0-120 degrees, extension 0-30 degrees, abduction 0-45 degrees, internal and external rotation 0-45 degrees each.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Practice management software like Pabau helps physical therapy and orthopedic practices capture structured hip examination findings, including digital forms and AI-assisted clinical documentation, at every appointment.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

Hip pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints across all age groups. A misattributed diagnosis at the first clinical encounter can delay treatment by an average of several months. A rigorous hip examination identifies whether pain originates intra-articularly, from periarticular structures, or is referred from the lumbar spine or sacroiliac joint, and that distinction changes the management plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide walks through each component of the hip examination<\/strong> in sequence, from history taking through to documentation. It covers normal values, special test interpretation, and the clinical decision points that determine referral and imaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the hip examination is designed to assess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A hip examination is a structured clinical assessment of the hip joint and surrounding soft tissues. Its purpose is to narrow a differential diagnosis that spans intra-articular pathology (femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, osteoarthritis), periarticular conditions (greater trochanteric bursitis, iliotibial band syndrome, hip flexor tendinopathy), and referred pain from lumbar and sacroiliac sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The physical therapy EMR<\/a> and orthopedic communities use the same systematic framework, which makes it a shared language across disciplines. Understanding its logic, not just its steps, makes the clinician faster and more accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hip examination: Taking the clinical history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history directs every subsequent examination component. Before touching the patient, a clinician should know the location, character, and onset of pain, aggravating and relieving factors, functional limitations, and any red flags. If answers repeatedly stall mid-sentence, recognizing thought blocking<\/a> helps separate a psychiatric barrier from simple recall difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n