Hip Injuries, Age 11 and Younger A hip injury can be hard to
deal with, both for the child who has the injury and for the
parent or caregiver. A child who has a hip injury may feel pain
in the hip, groin, thigh, or knee. A child in pain may limp or
be unable or unwilling to stand, walk, or move the injured hip.
A baby in pain may cry, be fussy, and have other Reference signs
of pain. To better understand hip injuries, it may be helpful to
know how the Reference hip Opens New Window Reference Opens New
Window works. It is the largest ball-and-socket joint in the
body. The thighbone (femur) fits tightly into a cup-shaped
socket (acetabulum) in the pelvis. The hip joint is tighter and
more stable than the shoulder joint but it does not move as
freely. The hip joint is held together by muscles in the
buttock, groin, and spine; tendons; ligaments; and a joint
capsule. Several fluid-filled sacs (bursae) cushion and
lubricate the hip joint and let the tendons and muscles glide
and move smoothly. The largest nerve in