What Is A Labral Tear Of The Hip
A labral tear of the hip is an injury to the labrum a ring of cartilage on the socket part of the hip joint. Your hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, composed of the ball, which is the top of your femur and a socket, which is part of your pelvis . The labrum helps keep the bones of the hip joint aligned and in place as you move. It also helps keep the joint fluid inside the joint to ensure frictionless motion.
The extent of hip labral tears can vary. Sometimes, hip labrum can have mini tears or fray at the edges. This usually happens due to a gradual wear on the labrum. In other cases, a section of hip labrum can separate, or tear away, from the socket bone. These types of hip labrum injuries are usually due to trauma.
Which Of The Two Procedures Is Most Effective
While both procedures target the hip joint, it all depends on the condition of the patients hip as each surgery treats the situation differently.
Hip Arthroscopy is required to repair a labral tear and resolve hip impingement that could lead to osteoarthritis. Other treatment options with this procedure are to remove bone spurs, inflamed joint lining, and loose cartilage fragments following an injury.
Total Hip Replacement surgery is often recommended when the damage to the hip joint is beyond repair. Its the last option to solving a hip joint problem thats affecting a patients mobility. The conditions that lead to a total hip replacement surgery are Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Osteonecrosis.
If you, or someone you know, are experiencing hip pain and would like to schedule an appointment for a consultation, or have questions regarding hip surgeries, contact us today!
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How Long Does Hip Labral Tear Recovery Take
After a hip labral tear surgery, most patients spend four months in one-on-one physical therapy sessions and can then ease back into their everyday activities subsequently. However, it can take them up to nine months to get back to their hundred percent.
But remember that every patient has a unique injury, so one hip labral tear condition may take longer to heal than the other. It works on a case-to-case basis, and the most important thing is to listen to your body and cooperate with your physical therapist to create the best post-op treatment plan for you.
Now that we have covered the recovery time, heres a general hip labral tear recovery timeline to help set your expectations about the whole treatment process.
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Diagnosis Of A Hip Labral Tear
Dr Chandrasekaran will perform a thorough history and physical exam, followed by medical imaging. The hip will be moved through a range of motion and stressed in certain ways to elicit pain or popping. X-rays may or may not show evidence of FAI .
An MRI helps evaluate the labrum and assess further cartilage damage. Dr Chandrasekaran may also suggest minimally-invasive hip arthroscopy to evaluate the structures of the joint and determine if there is any bony abnormality on either the femoral head or the acetabulum if the diagnosis is unclear based on physical exam and MRI.
Our doctors will carry out all appropriate diagnostic tests to confirm your tear and establish whether there has been additional damage caused to surrounding bones and ligaments.
What Happens During Hip Labral Tear Surgery
There are three main surgical procedures your orthopedic surgeon may perform during hip labral tear surgery. These are:
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Hip Labral Tear Causes
Hip labral tears can happen to anyone. Hip labrum can tear suddenly, as a result of an impact, or gradually. Causes typically include:
- Repetitive hip motions and hip overuse
- Traumatic hip injuries
- Regular wear and tear of the hip
- Deformities of the hip joint, such as hip dysplasia and abnormal bone shape that leads to hip impingement, can increase stress on the labrum.
- Degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis. The relationship between osteoarthritis and hip labral tears goes both ways: The erosion of cartilage caused by arthritis can contribute to a labral tear, and a labral tear can make you more likely to develop arthritis years later.
Causes of hip labral tears may vary depending on the location of the tear. Anterior hip labral tears are usually caused by repetitive movements common in sports such as ballet, golf, football or hockey. Posterior hip labral tears are usually caused by traumatic injuries such as falls, accidents or high-impact sports injuries.
Get The Best Possible Outcome At The American Hip Institute
Its natural to feel discomfort in your hip, buttocks or lower back after your operation. You also wont be able to do the activities you used to do and enjoy right away. The good news is that there are medications available to alleviate the pain or reduce the swelling. Aside from that, a personalized physical rehabilitation program can help you rebuild your strength, stability and mobility safely, allowing you to return to your routine.
But to gain long-lasting labral hip pain relief and get the best possible outcome for your hip labral tear recovery, consider seeking treatment at renowned experts in hip surgeries like The American Hip Institute. As a leader in advanced treatment of the hip, we offer cutting-edge techniques in hip arthroscopy and robotic hip replacement to restore you to your top-level performance.
For more information about our minimally invasive labral tear treatment options, contact us today or schedule a virtual appointment.
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Diagnosing A Labral Tear
Your doctor can do a physical exam to check your hips range of motion and determine where the pain is occurring, but you might need to have other tests done to be sure that the pain is being caused by a labral tear.
- Diagnostic injectionYour doctor can inject an anesthetic into your joint to help diagnose the cause of your hip pain. If your pain is completely gone after receiving the injection, it confirms that a problem in your joint is the source of the pain. If you still feel pain after the injection, it could mean that something else is causing it.
- X-rayAn X-ray can help your doctor get a better look at the bones in your joint. He or she will check the X-ray images for conditions that might be causing your hip pain, like FAI or dysplasia.
- MRI scanAn MRI scan provides more detailed images of tissues in and around your hip joint. This will help your doctor determine the location and severity of the tear. An MRI can show labral tears even if you dont have any symptoms.
- ArthroscopyAn arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that can be used both to diagnose and to treat certain hip conditions, including labral tears. Your doctor will insert a small camera into your joint to look for damage.
After determining what is causing your symptoms, your specialist will make a recommendation for treatment.
Consider Hip Arthroscopy Surgery With Mufaddal Gombera Md
If you have additional questions, you can come to our office at any time to discuss them. We’ll do our very best to answer your questions over the phone as well. Our website has a great deal of information on it, as well as surgical animations. Feel free to visit our hip arthroscopy recovery blog as well, which contains lots of helpful information.
Please fill out our form or call us at 794-3457 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Gombera to check your hip and see if hip arthroscopy surgery is right for you.
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Hip Labral Tear Symptoms
Hip labral tears cause similar symptoms regardless of the type of tear. But where you feel the symptoms may change depending on whether the tear is in the front or the back of the hip labrum.
Hip labral tear symptoms include:
- Pain in the hip, groin or buttocks, especially as you walk or run, and sometimes at night when you sleep.
- Hip stiffness or limited range of motion
- A clicking or locking sensation in the hip joint when you move
Some labral tears of the hip may cause no symptoms, and can go unnoticed for years.
Recovery After Hip Labrum Repair
Arthroscopic surgery is typically an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. After your hip labrum repair, you will be able to return to low-impact activities such as walking almost immediately. Your surgeon will refer you to a physical therapist to start exercising your hip to restore your range of motion and strengthen the joint.
If your job is in a low-activity environment, such as an office job, you may be able to return to work in one to two weeks after your hip labral tear surgery. If your job puts significant stress on the hip, you can work with your physical therapists to determine a safe return date or discuss job modifications with your employer to allow you to ease back into work as you recover.
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Hip Labral Tear Surgery: Arthroscopy And More
A hip labral tear is a scenario in which the ring of cartilage that follows the outside rim of your hip joint gets torn. The name of that ring of cartilage is the labrum. This injury can cause pain and instability in your hip, as well as subsequently cause damage later on to the rest of the cartilage in the hip joint.
This doesnt usually just heal on its own, which is why you may need a hip labral tear surgery. You can do a lot to manage symptoms, but even this is the case only with minor tears. There are a lot of anti-inflammatory medications that you can use in order to make the pain manageable, however, this is not a cure and its not an end solution.
Still, a labral tear surgery can mean a number of things. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several things you need to know about different types of labral tear hip surgeries.
Results Of Surgical Treatment
A number of studies have reported good short-term results following arthroscopic hip surgery. Most of these studies find that people who undergo hip arthroscopy have good pain relief in the months and years to follow surgical treatment.
Especially in patients who do not have any signs of arthritis, these results tend to hold up well over time, and people are satisfied with their treatment. This evidence certainly supports the consideration of surgical treatment, but only a few studies have actually compared if surgical treatment is better than nonsurgical treatment.
One study of about 100 military recruits who had hip labral tears randomly assigned them to either get surgery or nonsurgical treatment. Two years after treatment was completed, there was no significant difference between the groups of individuals treated surgically versus those treated nonsurgically.
That is not to say that everyone got better, it just means that an approximately equal number of patients got better with nonsurgical treatment as with surgical treatment. However, 70% of the patients who didn’t have surgery ended up undergoing surgery later.
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Hip Labral Tear Symptoms Why Does My Hip Lock Up
Now that weve talked about what a hip labral tear is, the next question is how to recognize one. So, what are the symptoms of a hip labral tear? Although only a medical professional can provide a definitive diagnosis, there are many common hip labral tear symptoms individuals experience as a result of acute or chronic injuries. Pain along the front of the hip joint, or groin region is one of the most frequent hip labral tear symptoms. In fact, up to 55 percent of individuals experiencing hip or groin pain are suffering from a hip labral tear, according to research published in Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. Joint soreness and stiffness are also common torn hip labrum symptoms. The intensity of pain and other symptoms varies by individual and by the severity of the damage. Some patients with diagnosable hip labral tears may not experience any noticeable pain at all. Some patients also report experiencing the hip locking up during everyday use. Other patients may feel hip clicking or hear hip popping during normal movements.
Hip Labral Tear Recovery Without Surgery Torn Labrum Hip Exercises And More
Many patients inquire about hip labral tear recovery without surgery. Simply put, a hip labral tear will not heal without surgical treatment. However, many less severe hip labral tears can be managed for years, sometimes even indefinitely, with nonsurgical treatment. When beginning a nonsurgical treatment plan, your physician may start by recommending small lifestyle adjustments to minimize the pain and discomfort related to hip labral tears.
For some, this may include a weight loss regimen to minimize the amount of weight and stress on the hip joint during activity. Other patients may be encouraged to tweak their activities and fitness routines, reducing the frequency or intensity of activities known to cause hip labral tear symptom flare-ups. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to relieve minor aches and labrum hip pain symptoms. The RICE method may also be recommended to help alleviate torn hip labrum symptoms such as swelling and inflammation. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation, and its a popular home treatment for inflamed injuries, as well as for pain and discomfort following rigorous activity. Ice and heat therapy can also relax the surrounding tissues and minimize hip stiffness. In a recent blog post, we detailed a comprehensive guide on when to use ice or heat therapy for a range of conditions.
RELATED: Feel free to read more about appropriate ice or heat therapy here.
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What You Need To Know
- A labral tear is an injury to the tissue that holds the ball and socket parts of the hip together.
- Torn hip labrum may cause pain, reduced range of motion in the hip and a sensation of the hip locking up.
- Labral tears are typically caused by overuse, traumatic injuries or abnormalities in the shape or alignment of the hip bones.
- Hip labral tears can be treated with or without surgery. If surgery is needed, it can be done with a minimally invasive approach.
Surgical Treatment Options For A Hip Labral Tear
Your doctor may recommend hip labral tear surgery if conservative treatments fail, if the labrum tear is severe, if you experience limited range of motion and decreased mobility, or if you have a serious hip impingement.
Other reasons you may opt for hip labral tear surgeries:
- Your hip joint has other damage like bone spurs or mild arthritis
- You have a low risk of surgical complications
- You have a good chance of having great post-surgical results
Hip labral tear surgery is contraindicated for reasons such as:
- The labrum tear is very severe or impossible to repair and would need a hip labral reconstruction
- Advanced arthritis
- Physical conditions that create a higher risk for complications during surgery like obesity, smoking, or a current infection
Before considering surgery, be sure to speak with an orthopedic surgeon and weigh the pros and cons of surgery for your situation.
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Whats Causing My Pain
The doctor will take a brief medical history and perform a physical examination on the patient. The physical examination will allow the doctor to check for the range of movements of the hip. The healthcare provider may also check the mobility of the patient. To better understand the hip pain, the doctor will order radiological scans such as an x-ray. The radiological scans will allow the doctor to make a diagnosis of strain or tear.
How Can You Help Prevent Future Hip Injuries
The arthroscopic hip surgery success rate is around 85 to 90 percent. The operation is performed to help restore your hips function, but its most successful at easing pain. It’s often difficult to return to vigorous use of the leg in sports or work.
Whether or not you can get back to previous levels of functioning will depend on:
- The amount of hip damage
- How well it heals
- Your rehabilitation success
- How strenuous your desired level of sports or work is
You can prevent further injuries by being careful with your hip. Don’t work it too hard. In addition, condition the surrounding muscles to help support your movement.
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Treatment Options For A Hip Labral Tear
The treatment of choice for labral tears vary depending on personal characteristics and the necessity of surgery. First-line treatment involves conservative measures such as the prescription of anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy with the aim of relieving pain. If conservative treatments are successful, then arthroscopic surgery may be required.
Non-Operative
Labral tears are sometimes misdiagnosed as tendon or muscle strains. Even if accurately diagnosed, Dr Chandrasekaran may use a number of conservative methods such as:
- prescribe anti-inflammatory medication
- physical therapy and activity modification to decrease pain and inflammation.
- injection of local anaesthetic or corticosteroid, which both confirms the diagnosis and decreases pain.
- injection of hyaluronic acid to improve joint lubrication
- trial of injections of protein-rich plasma to promote a healing response in the tissue
If the symptoms resolve, no further treatment is necessary.
Operative
The surgical procedure used to treat labral tears consists of minimally-invasive hip arthroscopy. Arthroscopic surgery, or keyhole surgery, involves the replacement or reconstruction of the abnormal hip structures through multiple smaller incisions.
The surgical procedure for a labral repair is minimally invasive and will produce minimal scarring.