Labral Hip Tears
A labral hip tear is a painful condition where the rim of tissue that surrounds the hip's socket is torn or damaged. When you have a torn hip labrum, you may have debilitating pain in the hip joint that interferes with everyday activities.
What You Need To Know About Labral Tears Of The Hip
What Is A Labral Hip Tear?
When functioning properly, the anatomy of the hip joint is similar to a ball-and-socket. The socket (or acetabulum) holds the ball (or femoral head) in place. The hip labrum is a tissue that covers and protects the socket while allowing the ball to move smoothly within the joint.
A labral tear in the hip is an injury to the hip labrum that occurs as a result of degeneration or direct injury. Repetitive motion, prolonged stress, or sudden trauma can cause this tissue to tear, fray, or even detach from the socket.
Get moving again! Schedule an appointment with the hip experts at Resurgens today.
Causes Of Labral Hip Tears
There are many different potential causes of labral hip tears. Your hip labrum may be damaged as a result of repetitive motion, aging, direct injury, or existing structural issues in the hip. You may also be more prone to a labral tear of the hip if you participate in sports or activities that require pivoting or sudden motion in your hip joint.
Some common causes that can cause a labral tear of the hip include:
Repetitive stress
Traumatic injury to the hip
Deformities or other conditions in the hip
Labral Hip Tear Symptoms
Some signs of hip labral tears may not appear at all. However, symptoms of a labral tear may include pain in your groin or in the front of your hip. You may also notice a catching or a clicking sensation in the hip joint when you move it. If these symptoms persist or get worse after six weeks, schedule an appointment with the hip experts at Resurgens.
Other torn hip labrum symptoms may include:
Pain
Clicking or catching while in motion
Stiffness
Limited range of motion
Instability in the hip joint
How Is A Labral Tear In The Hip Diagnosed?
Because the hip is a complicated joint with many moving parts, it is more difficult to diagnose a labral hip tear. In order to get a labral hip tear diagnosis, you need to schedule an appointment with a Resurgens hip physician. During your appointment, your doctor will start by giving you a physical exam. You may experience some brief discomfort as you demonstrate your pain level and range of motion.
After a physical exam, your doctor will likely order imaging tests to rule out other potential conditions. Once you have a diagnosis, your physician will talk to you about your treatment options and make recommendations for your hip labrum recovery.
Treatment For Labral Hip Tears
There are many non-surgical labral tear hip treatment options that may help with torn labrum recovery. If the condition does not improve with non-surgical methods, your physician may recommend surgical treatment.
<h3> Non-surgical
There are several non-surgical approaches to help treat a labral tear of the hip:
Resting the joint and avoiding activities that exacerbate the labrum
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help reduce inflammation and pain
Assistive devices such as crutches or canes
Physical therapy to increase strength and range of motion in the hip
<h3> Surgical
If the torn hip labrum is extremely severe or not responding to non-surgical treatment methods, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair it. This arthroscopic hip surgery is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. The surgeons uses small incisions and surgical instruments to clean up and repair the tissue. While every patient is different, torn hip labrum recovery time may take anywhere between 2-6 months.
Schedule a consultation now to learn more about labral hip tears and treatment options at Resurgens Orthopaedics.