Hip arthroscopy and the surgical drapes applied. The next step is to insert a fine needle under x-ray guidance into the hip joint. This breaks the 'suction seal' of the joint and allows further distraction if necessary (see fig 4). The surgeon wishes to see the ball move out the socket by approximately 1 cm, so that access to the hip joint can be achieved with minimal risk of damage to the joint surfaces. Most surgeons will inject fluid into the joint at this stage, again to ensure that there is enough space between the ball and socket for safe instrument access.
Hip femoral side, the distance between the head's cartilaginous rim and the capsular attachment at the base of the neck is constant, which leaves a wider extracapsular part of the neck at the back than at the front. The strong but loose fibrous capsule of the hip joint permits the hip joint to have the second largest range of movement (second only to the shoulder) and yet support the weight of the body, arms and head. The capsule has two sets of fibers: longitudinal and circular. The hip joint is reinforced by four ligaments, of which three are extracapsular and one