Labral Tears in the Hip

Hip injuries don’t just happen to our seniors, they happen to young, healthy, physically fit men and women when accidents occur at work.  Know what to be on the lookout for after a hip injury.

Definition:

“A hip labral tear involves the ring of soft elastic tissue, called the labrum, that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. The labrum acts like a socket to hold the ball at the top of your thighbone (femur) in place.”

Symptoms:

“Many hip labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. Occasionally, however, you may experience one or more of the following”:

• A locking, clicking or catching sensation in your hip joint
• Pain in your hip or groin
• Stiffness or limited range of motion in your hip joint

Tests and diagnosis:

“A hip labral tear rarely occurs in isolation. In most cases, other structures within the hip joint have also sustained injuries. Diagnostic tests can help determine exactly what’s going on inside your joint.”

• X-Ray
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Treatments:

“Treatment choices will depend on the severity of your symptoms. Some people recover in a few weeks with conservative treatments, while others may require arthroscopic surgery to repair or remove the torn portion of the labrum.”

Medications – “Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve, others), can relieve pain and reduce inflammation.”

Therapy – “A physical therapist can teach you exercises to maximize hip range of motion and improve hip strength and stabilitySurgical and other procedures

If you have a hip labral tear and experience hip pain for more than four to 12 weeks despite physical therapy, or if you have mechanical symptoms of your hip locking, your doctor may recommend arthroscopic surgery”.

Anesthesia injection – “Hip pain can be caused by problems within the joint or outside the joint. Your doctor may suggest injecting an anesthetic into the joint space. If this relieves your pain, it’s likely that your problem is inside your hip joint.”

Arthroscopic surgery – “a fiber-optic camera and surgical tools are inserted via small incisions in your skin” to repair the tear.  “Depending on the cause and extent of the tear, the surgeon may cut out and remove the torn piece of labrum or repair the torn tissue by sewing it back together.”

(Information taken from https://www.mayoclinic.com/)

If you have a hip injury as the result of a work place accident or if you would like more information on the Virginia workers’ compensation system, order my book, “The Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia,” or call our office today (804) 755-7755.

~Author

Michele Lewane, Esq.