The normal width of the adult hip joint: the relationship to age, sex, and obesity.

The articular cartilage thickness of the weight-bearing segment of the hip joint, in standard pelvic radiography, of 240 male and female subjects between the ages of 45-84 years was measured in a random sample of a Jerusalem population. The average value was approximately 4.0 mm and no sex or age difference was found. There was no correlation either between joint width and body build as estimated by the weight to height ratio. It is thus concluded that a narrow joint space should not be expected either in elderly or obese subjects other than as a concomitant finding of arthritic change.