Symptoms
How it tends to show up
Groin or outer-hip pain, often with activity or after long sitting or standing; a sense of the hip clicking, catching, or feeling unstable; fatigue or aching around the hip; symptoms that may have built gradually over years; sometimes a limp with longer activity.
How Common
You're not alone in this
Adult hip dysplasia is far more common than most people realize — and far more often missed. When researchers actually X-ray the general adult population, roughly 2.3% have radiographic hip dysplasia, and it runs higher in women (about 3.8%) than men. It also quietly drives a meaningful share of hip arthritis: studies link unrecognized dysplasia to an estimated 20–40% of adult hip osteoarthritis, and it is one of the leading causes of hip arthritis in women under 40. Why does that matter to you? Because if you have nagging groin or hip pain that no one has been able to explain, a subtly shallow hip socket is a real possibility worth ruling in or out — and catching it early is exactly what tends to change the long-term picture.
The Root
Why it keeps coming back
Because the socket offers less natural coverage, a dysplastic hip relies more on muscles to stay stable and centered. When those muscles aren't doing their job, the joint takes uneven load — driving pain and accelerating wear. The structure won't change with conservative care, but improving muscular support and load can meaningfully reduce symptoms.
Who Gets It
Common risk factors
- Female sex (roughly 4x more common in women)
- Family history of hip dysplasia or early hip arthritis
- Breech position in the womb
- Being a firstborn child
- History of dysplasia treated in infancy (Pavlik harness, brace)
- Tight swaddling of the legs as a baby
- Ligament laxity / generally hypermobile joints
- Left hip is more commonly involved than the right
Look-Alikes
Is it Hip Dysplasia, or something else?
Several other problems can mimic this, and they're managed differently — so part of the assessment is telling them apart.
Wondering if this is what's going on — and what care would look like?
Book an Assessment →The Approach
How Dr. Imada approaches it
This is co-managed with your physician, especially since dysplasia sometimes needs orthopedic input. What I add: using Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT) to restore the hip and core muscles that help stabilize the joint, plus Foundation Training and chiropractic care to improve how the hip is loaded. This is supportive insight to ease symptoms and improve function — not a structural fix, and surgical options are discussed with your specialist.
Getting Answers
How it's assessed
Clinically, adult hip dysplasia is a story of a hip socket that is a little too shallow to fully cover the ball of the joint — so the load that should be spread across a broad surface concentrates onto a small rim, and the labrum and cartilage slowly take the punishment. What Dr. Imada consistently sees is deep groin pain, a feeling of the hip "giving way" or catching, and fatigue or aching after walking or standing, often worse than the X-ray would suggest. A definitive diagnosis is made on imaging — a standing X-ray with specific socket-coverage angles, sometimes an MRI to assess the labrum and cartilage. One myth worth clearing up: many people assume dysplasia is purely a baby's condition that you either "had" or didn't. In reality, about half of adults who eventually need corrective surgery had normal newborn hip ultrasounds — so a clean infancy does not rule it out. Dr. Imada's role is the whole-chain assessment: he looks at how your pelvis, core, and the muscles up and down the kinetic chain are managing that under-covered joint, because how you load and stabilize the hip shapes how it feels day to day. If the imaging points to true structural dysplasia, that is squarely a co-management situation — he'll coordinate with an orthopedic hip surgeon rather than treat it as a problem conservative care alone can fix.
Your Visit
What to expect
A careful assessment and appropriate referral for orthopedic evaluation; alongside that, hands-on care and a strengthening plan to better support the hip and reduce day-to-day symptoms.
At Home
What you can do yourself
- Avoid prolonged deep hip flexion (low, soft seating) that loads the rim
- Build glute and deep-core strength to stabilize the joint
- Pace high-impact activity — swap some running for cycling or swimming
- Use a supportive mattress and pillow between the knees when side-sleeping
- Keep a healthy body weight to reduce joint load
- Apply heat before activity, ice after a flare
These home steps help calm symptoms and protect the joint, but they work best alongside a proper diagnosis and restoring how the whole hip-and-pelvis system shares the load — not as a substitute for it.
Outlook
Recovery & realistic timelines
Here's the honest part: true structural hip dysplasia is not something conservative care "fixes" — the socket shape is what it is. What Dr. Imada can often do is meaningfully change how the joint feels and functions by restoring the muscles that should be stabilizing it, which is why two people with the same X-ray can have very different pain. For many adults, smart strengthening, load management, and addressing the rest of the kinetic chain offer real, lasting symptom relief. But when the dysplasia is significant — especially in a younger adult before arthritis has set in — the procedure that actually re-covers the joint is a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), a surgeon's operation with a recovery typically measured in months (often 6–12 months to full activity). For hips already worn to advanced arthritis, hip replacement is the standard answer. Dr. Imada's aim is to help find the why behind your pain, optimize everything he can conservatively, and make sure you're seen by the right surgeon at the right time — not to have you wait while a fixable structural problem quietly progresses.
Staying Ahead
Keeping it from coming back
- Catch it early — get persistent groin pain imaged rather than dismissed
- Tell your provider about any family history of hip dysplasia
- Keep glutes and core strong to support the joint
- Manage body weight to limit joint load
- Moderate repetitive high-impact loading
- Don't ignore a hip that catches, clicks, or feels unstable
Related
Related conditions
FAQ
Common questions
Isn't hip dysplasia just a condition babies have?
No. While it's screened for in infancy, plenty of cases go undetected until adulthood — in fact, about half of adults who need corrective hip surgery had normal newborn ultrasounds. It can show up as new hip pain in your 20s, 30s, or 40s.
Can a chiropractor cure hip dysplasia?
No. No one can adjust a shallow socket back into a deep one. What Dr. Imada can do is help improve how the surrounding muscles stabilize and load the joint, which often reduces pain and improves function — and refer you to a hip surgeon if the structure itself needs correcting.
Why does my groin hurt and not the side of my hip?
Deep groin or front-of-hip pain is classic for problems inside the joint itself, like dysplasia, whereas outer-hip pain you can press on is usually bursitis or tendon-related. The location is a useful clue, but imaging confirms it.
Will it definitely turn into arthritis?
Not definitely, but untreated dysplasia is a leading cause of early hip osteoarthritis — it's linked to an estimated 20 to 40 percent of adult hip arthritis. That's exactly why it's worth assessing rather than just waiting it out if it's significant.
Do I need surgery?
Many people with mild dysplasia manage well with strengthening and load management. Surgery (a periacetabular osteotomy, or a hip replacement if arthritis is advanced) is considered for more significant cases — that's a decision made with an orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Imada will help you get there.
Why is it more common in women?
It's roughly four times more common in females, likely tied to ligament laxity and developmental factors. It also tends to affect the left hip more often than the right.
I had a harness as a baby — am I in the clear?
Early treatment improves the odds a lot, but residual dysplasia can persist into adulthood even after successful infant treatment. If you had a harness or brace and now have hip pain, it's worth mentioning and getting checked.
What kind of imaging shows it?
A standing hip X-ray with specific coverage measurements is the foundation, and an MRI is often added to assess the labrum and cartilage. A physical exam alone can raise suspicion but can't confirm the diagnosis.
Can I keep exercising?
Usually yes, with adjustments — favoring lower-impact options like cycling and swimming and building hip and core strength tends to help. Sharp pain, catching, or a giving-way feeling are signs to back off and get assessed.
Dr. Imada is trained in Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT), the CHEK Institute holistic lifestyle program, Foundation Training, and Nasal Specific — care that looks at the whole person, not just the spot that hurts.
This page is for education and is not a substitute for in-person diagnosis or treatment. Care described reflects Dr. Imada's clinical experience and current literature; individual results vary.