When a person gets injuries to the labrum, that is known as a hip labral tear. The labrum is the soft tissue covering the acetabulum of the hip. One may experience a hip labral tear due to injuries, structural issues, or degenerative problems. Those with a hip labral tear suffer from pain in the hip, or it becomes stiff. Sometimes a hip labral tear can be recovered nonsurgically, and sometimes one has to opt for surgery or labral reconstruction.
What is the meaning of hip labral tear?
The hip is formed just like a ball-and-socket. The socket is known as the acetabulum, and the ball is called the femoral head, located at the top of the femur (leg bone). A hip labral tear is a wound to the labrum.
The labrum enables the femoral head to move smoothly within the socket. It allows the hip to move without any issues or pain. It also acts like a seal, keeping the ball and socket together but not touching. The ultimate treatment for a hip labral tear is labral reconstruction.
What is the reason for a hip labral tear?
Hip labral tears can result in a lot of things like:
Structural ailments: When one faces unusual hip movement due to some issues, this might cause hip labral tears. Sometimes, the femoral head does not fit into the socket accurately due to FAI. That is why a person might face long-term pain and difficulties during movements. This is the general cause of hip labral tears. A person can get affected by FAI at any age. If they do not get any treatment, they will form osteoarthritis.
Injury: Injuries to the hip can result in a hip labral tear. This can happen to people who play particular sports that have repetitive and high-impact movements, such as ice hockey, football, soccer, and golf.
Degenerative health conditions:
People who have osteoarthritis can have hip labral tears.
What are the signs of a hip labral tear?
The signs of a hip labral tear are as follows:
● Hip pain or stiffness
● Pain in the groin or buttocks region
● A clicking or locking sound in the hip area when you walk
● Feeling unstable on your feet
How to diagnose hip labral tear?
The doctor does a physical check-up to diagnose a hip labral tear. They may tell you to move your leg or walk around so that they can analyze the case perfectly. A doctor may suggest the patient take some imaging tests like X-rays or MRI ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to diagnose a labral tear.
What is the best way to recover a hip labral tear?
A hip labral tear does not recover on its own. If there is a minor tear, the patient can be retrieved by taking rest and following some other tips.
A patient can get nonsurgical treatments like:
Anti-inflammatory medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®) can lessen inflammation.
Medication injection: Doctors can inoculate medications, like steroids, into the hip joint to lessen symptoms.
Physical therapy: Some particular physical therapy exercises can reduce pain. But it can be done with a doctor’s prescription.
If it is a severe injury or the pain doesn’t go with the nonsurgical treatments the doctor will go for surgery or labral reconstruction in which the doctor reconfigures the injured tissue by using a healthy tissue from anywhere on your body or a donor.
Conclusion
Hip and joint pain is not a life-threatening disease. But it may affect one’s life significantly. One should visit a doctor if severe pain does not go away quickly.