Hip Labral Tear
The acetabular labrum is a ridge of cartilage that goes around the rim of the hip joint socket and it’s meant to make the socket deeper and more stable. It’s also meant to absorb shock, lubricate the joint, and distribute pressure equally.
A hip labral tear is when the labrum is torn from its attachment and it can result in pain, catching, restricted range of motion or clicking. This can be caused by many different things, including trauma, dysplasia, degeneration, femoroacetabular impingement, and hip hypermobility.
Hip Labral Tear Causes
Hip labral tears are very rare but they’re most common in athletes who play sports like soccer, hockey, golf, and it’s also common in ballet dancers. Hip labral tears can also be caused by structural abnormalities.
Anyone is capable of sustaining a hip labral tear through overuse, trauma or misuse. If you suspect that your hip pain may be a sign of a more significant underlying injury, it’s critical to receive a thorough diagnosis.
Hip Labral Tear Diagnosis
This kind of tear is often diagnosed by analyzing symptoms, medical history, and with the help of a physical examination and radiological techniques. Magnetic resonance arthroscopy is perhaps the most appropriate way of diagnosing this injury.
Hip Labral Tear Treatment
Once your labral tear is diagnosed, your doctor might start with a conservative treatment consisting of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs and lots of rest. This kind of treatment will offer relief, but surgery might be necessary to repair the torn labrum.
Hip labral tears can sometimes be improved with non-surgical treatments, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, for a certain period of time to control pain and inflammation.
Rest is also very important to avoid discomfort. Injections are another nonsurgical treatment that’s meant to alleviate pain. Anesthetic fluid is directly injected into the hip joint if other measures couldn’t reduce pain.
Physical therapy is yet another non-surgical method of treatment that consists of strengthening the thighs, back and buttocks to improve hip stability.
Of course, there are also surgical treatments that may be suggested by your physician, depending on the severity of the tear.
If non-surgical methods are unable to provide meaningful relief, here are some of the surgical options available to repair labral tears that are not extremely invasive thanks to the use of an arthroscope.
Arthroscopes are the size of a pencil and they include a tiny camera that allows the surgeon to take a look at the damage without having to make big incisions.
Surgical treatments include:
- Arthroscopic labral debridement – which is a technique that consists of trimming or smoothing the torn area of the labral.
- Arthroscopic hip labral repair – which is recommended when the labral has separated from the bone and it needs to be reattached.
- Arthroscopic hip labral replacement – which is also known as labral reconstruction and it’s recommended when the labral is too damaged to repair.
If you are experiencing severe or persistent hip pain following a fall or traumatic hit, you’ll want to seek medical attention right away. Left untreated, hip injuries can easily become chronic and affect a patient’s gate and posture (leading to any number of conditions, imbalances and deformities).
Acquire a thorough diagnosis and complete treatment plan during an initial consultation at a SOAR location nearest you, by contacting us today.
