Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment For Labral Tear in Hip

Labral tear in hip involve the cartilage ring around the hip joint socket. Beyond cushioning the hip joint, the labrum acts as a rubber seal or gasket to secure the ball at the top of the thigh bone in the hip socket. Ice hockey, soccer, football, golf, and ballet athletes are at risk for hip labral tears. Hip labral tears can also result from hip structural issues.

What is Labral Tear in Hip?

Labral tear in hip damages the hip joint labrum. The labrum is a cartilaginous rim of the hip socket. Joints are bone-bone junctions. Your hip joint connects your femur and pelvis.  The femoral head is a spherical structure that articulates with the pelvic socket (acetabulum). Hip labrum is a soft lining around the acetabulum that protects the socket and prevents bones from grinding together. It smooths hip-bone movement and seals the gap. It holds bones together without touching them. Damage to the labrum causes hip labral tears. If hip pain or stiffness persists after a few weeks, see a hip pain specialist near me.

Symptoms of Hip Labral Tears

The most common hip labral tear symptoms are:

• Hip pain (especially when bending, moving, exercising, or playing sports).

• Stiffness.

• A clicking or popping hip sound and feeling.

• Unsteadiness when standing or moving.

Some small labral hip tears are symptomless. Someone may not know they have one until a doctor spots it on imaging tests for other issues.

What Do Hip Labral Tears Feel Like?

Everyone feels pain in the hip area differently, depending on how severely your labrum is torn and other injuries. Pain usually feels like:

• Constant dull pain.

• Sharp and stabbing when lying on that side or exercising.

• It originates deeper in your body than a cramp or muscle pain. You may feel bone pain.

• Radiation spreads: Labral tear in hip can cause groin, lower back, and leg pain. You may unknowingly change your walking, moving, or holding posture. This unconscious posture change can strain muscles and tissue around your injured hip.

Causes of  Hip Labral Tears

Following are the possible causes of labral tear in hip:

• Trauma: Hip labral tears can result from car accidents or contact sports like football or hockey.

• Problems with structure: Some people are born with hip issues that accelerate joint wear and tear and cause hip labral tears. Dysplasia or a shallow socket can stress the labrum. Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) can pinch the labrum and cause tearing.

• Repetitive movements: Long-distance running and sudden twisting or pivoting motions in golf or softball can cause hip labral tears.

Risk Factors

Hip labral tears can happen to anyone, but certain conditions and activities increase risk. Hip impingement, dysplasia, and loose ligaments increase the risk of hip labral tears. Activities that involve repetitive or twisting motions can cause hip labral tears. These include ballet, golf, and swimming. Contact sports like football and hockey increase hip injuries, including labral tears.

Labral Tear Hip Treatment 

Symptom management will be suggested by your pain doctor in Dallas. Labral tear in hip can only be repaired surgically, but some people can manage their symptoms nonsurgically.

• MOTC painkillers: NSAIDs like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen or acetaminophen relieve pain and inflammation. Do not take painkillers for more than 10 days without consulting your hip specialist in Dallas.

• Corticosteroids: Prescription corticosteroids reduce inflammation. Your Dallas pain clinic doctor may inject corticosteroids into your hip.

• Physical therapy: It is one of the best ways of hip labral tear recovery without surgery. Your physical therapist will stretch and strengthen the muscles around your hip joint to improve flexibility.

• Labral Tear Hip Surgery: If you have severe symptoms or other treatments have failed after a few months, pain management in Dallas may recommend hip labrum repair surgery. Hip arthroscopy is usually performed by your surgeon. They'll repair hip labrum tears and other hip joint pain damage. A hip impingement doctor may reshape your joints to fit better. Outpatient hip arthroscopies enable same-day discharge. Your doctor or surgeon will explain.

How Serious is a Hip Labral Tear?

What caused a hip labral tear and how it affects your hip function determine its severity. Some tears are so faint you may not notice them. Physical therapy or over-the-counter medications may be enough to treat mild tears. Severe hip labral tears require surgery. These tears induce intense pain and render movement challenging or unfeasible.

Note from Premier Pain Centers