Hip Ultrasound Guided Injections
Modern ultrasound's ability to detect subtle bony abnormalities causing hip impingement pain as well as visualise the fibre structure of tendons around the hip have advanced our diagnostic capability in this region...
Hip Diagnostic Ultrasound Scan
The Anatomy of a Hip Ultrasound Scan
Musculoskeletal pain conditions of the hip are varied in their cause. Hip joint osteoarthritis a common complaint can be diagnosed with X-ray, MRI. In conjunction with a physical examination, an ultrasound scan can also be useful in that it demonstrates characteristic signs of a hip joint effusion ,inflammation and bony irregularities at the hip joint margins.
Many other hip pain conditions are caused by degenerative changes and defects to the muscles and tendons around the hip. A diagnostic hip ultrasound scan is invaluable in assessing tendon defects and planning the most appropriate treatment strategy such as physiotherapy loading exercises for the tendons or ultrasound guided injections.
Fluid filled sacs known as hip bursae can also give rise to pain around the hip and pelvis. the most common of these, the trochanteric bursa can give rise to pain and swelling over the outer aspects of the hip. An ultrasound scan can clearly visualise inflammation or chronic thickening to this bursa opening up appropriate treatment pathways.
Types of Hip Ultrasound Guided Injections
Hip Joint Ultrasound Guided Injections
A hip injection is most often a term used to describe an intra-articular (within the hip joint cavity) hip injection. In recent years, hip injections have become far more common as we can now accurately guide a hip injection with ultrasound diagnostic imaging in real-time rather than having to rely on x-ray and CT scan guidance within an operating room. Generally, patients will have a degree of hip osteoarthritis, hip labral pathology or hip impingement underlying the cause for a hip intra-articular injection.
Greater Trochanteric Ultrasound Guided Injections
Another form of hip injection is to the outer aspect of the hip (lateral hip) known as the trochanteric region. Two problems can occur in this region that may respond well to a trochanteric hip injection. Firstly, there can be inflammation of the fluid-filled protective sac known as the hip trochanteric bursa. Secondly, similar to an Achilles tendon issue at the back of the heel, there can be pain and what is termed a gluteal tendinopathy in this region to the tendons of the hip gluteal muscles. Both of these anatomical structures can benefit from a trochanteric hip injection.