Stand or lie very still as the X-ray image is taken. Other X-rays may require lying down so the technician can move a specialized camera over your hip to take X-ray images. Some X-rays will require standing next to a plate-shaped tool that can produce X-ray images. Let the technician know if you have any metal implants in your body that may interfere with X-ray results.Take off any jewelry or metal accessories that may stop X-rays from producing clear images.Wear loose clothing that’s comfortable and easy to take on and off if you have to change into a gown.

Here are some tips to help make the X-ray process more comfortable: You don’t need to do much to prepare for a hip X-ray. Radiology labs or clinics that specialize in imaging tests typically perform hip X-rays. This common complication of osteoarthritis appears as white lines at the surface of the cartilage. You may also notice bone spurs or cysts that have grown on your bone surfaces due to disease in the joint.Īn X-ray may also show chondrocalcinosis, the buildup of calcium crystals in the joints. Pieces of damaged cartilage and bone from wear and tear to the joint may also be visible on a hip X-ray as white chunks around the joint. You may also see cracks in the bone, pieces missing from the femur head, or white areas where the femur has hardened ( subchondral sclerosis). When this happens, you might feel significant pain and stiffness when you try to walk, stand, or sit. This causes the bones to scrape against each other as you move your leg. If you have hip osteoarthritis, this joint space might look much narrower because the cartilage has worn away, allowing the femur head to move closer to the bone inside the pelvic socket.

In a typical hip X-ray, you’ll see a space between the femur head and the pelvis where the cartilage cushions the femur in the joint. The ball-shaped, cartilage-covered femur head fits into a socket of the pelvic bone and allows your leg to move in many directions. Your hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint.

What does osteoarthritis look like on an X-ray?

Normal hip xray with pain and weakness