A great deal of biomechanical research remains to be done in the area of hip joint trauma so that bioengineers and other medical scientists can work with accurate bone failure data, which are essential to the design of sports equipment, vehicles, workplace situations, and prostheses. The application of biomechanical data, in addition to being essential in prosthesis design and ergonomics, also can be useful in such diverse problems as pathogenesis of degenerative joint disease, management of the postfracture patient, bracing in Perthes' disease, and in many other pathologic conditions.