Osteoarthritis of hip -- Symptoms and Signs

The pain of osteoarthritis almost always begins gradually, progressing slowly over many years. People under 40 may have the condition with no symptoms at all.
Pain usually characterizes Osteoarthritis and is localised to the particular joint.
Osteoarthritis is commonly identified by the following symptoms:
·The most common symptom of osteoarthritis in any joint is pain that worsens during activity and that gets better during rest. Stiffness also tends to follow periods of inactivity, such as sleep or sitting, which can last for more than an hour or it can be eased by stretching and exercise. As the disease advances, the pain may occur even when the joint is at rest and can keep a sufferer awake at night.
·Pain is generally described as aching, stiffness, and loss of mobility.
·The pain may behave like a roller coaster, with bad spells followed by periods of relative relief.
·Pain seems to increase in humid weather.
·Some people experience muscle spasm and contractions in the tendons.
Fatigue and general weakness are not signs of osteoarthritis.

For the Hips: Osteoarthritis frequently strikes the weight-bearing joints in one or both hips.
- Pain develops slowly, usually in the groin and on the outside of the hips or sometimes in the buttocks.
- The pain may also radiate to the knee, confusing the diagnosis.
- Restricted range of motion (particularly when trying to rotate the hip) and walk with a limp, because they slightly turn the affected leg to avoid pain.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis vary greatly from patient to patient. Some patients can be debilitated by their symptoms. On the other hand, others may have remarkably few symptoms in spite of dramatic degeneration of the joints apparent on X-rays.

Symptoms also can be intermittent. It is not unusual for patients with osteoarthritis to have years of pain-free intervals between symptoms

http://osteoarthritis.about.com/od/osteoarthritissymptoms/a/signs_symptoms.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/page2.htm