Hip joint may become firm and swell due to accumulation of the excessive fluid in or around the joint. It may be temporary but may cause long-term discomfort if left untreated.
Stiffness and swelling in hip joint mainly occurs due to short-term injury like a hip fracture, dislocation, or sprain, overuse injuries, infection or chronic, debilitating conditions like ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bursitis, juvenile arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, trochanteric bursitis, tendinitis etc. It can also occur due to temporary conditions like tight hip flexor muscles.
Swelling of the hip joint causes its puffing up that is easily noticeable and comparable with the normal hip. This is generally accompanied with stiffness or difficulty to do the activities that require hip joint movement like standing, walking, bending etc. In some cases, the condition can be extremely painful to an extent that it's difficult or impossible to bear weight on it. A clicking or popping sound may be heard on moving the joint