The hip joint is a ball and socket joint formed between the head of the femur (thigh bone) and the hip socket (acetabulum).
The important parts of the hip are:- 
- Ball and Socket Joint - The joint between the head of the femur and the acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis.
- Joint Capsule - flexible sac around the joint allowing a wide range of movements. The capsule keeps in place the lubricating synovial fluid.
- Greater Trochanter - the attachment point for many of the buttock muscles (hip abduction and external rotation)
- Lesser Trochanter - the attachment of iliopsoas muscle (hip flexion)
Hip Movements - in the standing position
- Flexion - move your leg forwards.
- Extension - move your leg backwards.
- Abduction - move your leg away from your side.
- Adduction - move your leg towards to other leg.
- Internal Rotation - rotate your foot towards the other (toes pointing towards each other).
- External Rotation - rotate your foot away from the other (toes pointing outwards).
Walking is divided into 2 phases, the stance phase where one leg is static on the ground, and the swing phase, where one leg is off the ground swinging forwards to make the next step.
- During walking body weight is transferred from hip joint to hip joint. In order to prevent your toes from scraping on the ground during the swing phase, gluteus medius on the stance side contracts, tilting the pelvis upwards, lifting the leg clear of the ground.
- Weakness of gluteus medius causes the pelvis to dip downwards during the swing phase. This is known as a positive Trendelenburg Test. Gluteus medius can be weak due to either an L5 nerve root lesion in the spine, proximal myopathy (muscular dystrophy, hip osteoarthritis), or congenital hip deformities (coxa vara, congenital dislocation of the hip - CDH).
- Using vector diagrams it has been calculated that during the stance phase of walking, 4 times the body weight is applied to the load bearing surface of the hip joint. Being overweight therefore places an increased loading bearing burden on the hip joints leading to premature osteoarthritis.
For More Details visit the link
http://www.painclinic.org/jointpain-hip.htm
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