Summary

The hip had a vital role in the evolution of the human and the development of its basic motor abilities like standing or walking. But exactly these abilities stress the hip joint and consequential injuries or pathologies are very bothersome. This is especially true for arthrosis or hip fractures. Hip patients are afflicted with decreased mobility and quality of life. Understanding the biomechanics of the hip is essential because the hip has a primary biomechanical function. Most important for this function are the muscles that act around the hip joint. The muscle forces cause strains in the femur which affect its morphology. To withstand the prevalent forces the femur optimizes its topology by a change of bone mass adapted to mechanical stimuli. How the strain distribution and the according topology of the femur look like is part of many research studies. The knowledge about the mechanical situation in the hip is particularly important, when hip fracture implants or endoprostheses are to be applied.