An intra-articular injection into the hip is a most useful tool, both for diagnostic purposes (an intra-articular block) and for therapeutic ones. As a diagnostic tool it is used to establish an intra-articular cause for the patient's symptoms and to distinguish it from other possible extra-articular causes, such as muscular ones, or symptoms related to the spine.
As a therapeutic tool it is used to deliver substances into the joint itself or into the periarticular tissues, such as local anaesthetic, steroids, hyaluronic acid, biologic agents and mesenchymal cells.
Traditionally, intra-articular injection of the hip was performed under fluoroscopic guidance, that is with radiographs taken at the same time. However, the radiation dose to the patient always remained an obstacle, as did the increased cost, since the procedure had to take place in an operating theatre.
The trend now is for intra-articular hip injections to be carried out under ultrasound guidance, so that they can be performed in the consulting room, with no exposure of the patient to radiation and at lower cost.
Even in cases of hip osteoarthritis, labral tears, femoroacetabular impingement and others, intra-articular injection of the hip is a most useful tool for relieving the patient's symptoms and for postponing impending surgery.
