Your hip is the joint where your thigh bone meets your pelvis. It is called a ball-and-socket joint because the ball-like top of your thigh bone fits into a cup-like area within your pelvis, much like a baseball fits into a glove. You can have hip impingement for years and not know it, because it is often not painful in its early stages. When hip impingement causes symptoms, it may be referred to as hip impingement syndrome. The main symptoms are stiffness in the groin or front of the thigh and/or a loss of your hip’s full range of motion.