Hip Labral Tear

Wear of the cartilage in the ball-and-socket hip joint, causing groin pain, stiffness and a limp that gradually limits walking and daily tasks.

Hip Osteoarthritis

Hip · Shoulder and Sports Medicine

Hip Labral Tear

A tear in the cartilage rim of the hip socket, usually from impingement between a misshapen ball and socket, causing a sharp pinch deep in the groin with pivoting or sitting.

Loss of blood supply to the ball of the hip, which causes the bone to die and collapse. Early treatment can save the joint; late disease needs replacement.

Avascular Necrosis of the Hip

A break of the upper thigh bone at the hip, almost always from a fall in an older adult, treated with urgent surgery to get the patient standing again.

Hip Fractures

A hip or knee replacement that has loosened, worn, become unstable or developed an infection, causing pain and loss of function years after a good result.

Failed or Infected Joint Replacement

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

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Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330

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What it is

Hip Labral Tear

The labrum is a ring of cartilage that deepens the hip socket and seals the joint.

It tears when the ball and socket pinch it, most often because the bone shapes do not match perfectly, a condition called femoroacetabular impingement.Labral tears are a problem of younger, active adults, unlike arthritis.

Treated by

J. Ryan Taylor, MD, Shoulder and Sports Medicine surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. TaylorShoulder and Sports Medicine

Kevin Christensen, MD, Knee, Shoulder and Sports Medicine surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. ChristensenKnee, Shoulder and Sports Medicine

Michael Carlson, MD, Shoulder and Sports Medicine surgeon at Ridgeline Orthopedic Specialists

Dr. CarlsonShoulder and Sports Medicine

or call801-640-0000

Hip Labral Tear

Symptoms

A sharp catch or pinch deep in the front of the groin with pivoting, squatting, prolonged sitting or getting out of a car. Clicking or locking. A dull ache after activity.Many patients have been told it is a groin strain that never healed.

Common signs

Sharp pinch deep in the groin

Catch with pivoting or deep sitting

Clicking or locking

Dull ache after activity

See us sooner if

Cannot bear weight

Fever with hip pain

Hip Labral Tear

Causes

Extra bone on the ball or a socket that covers too much, present since adolescence, pinches the labrum with each deep flexion.Years of hockey, dance, soccer, yoga or squatting accelerate the damage. A twisting injury can tear it acutely.Hip dysplasia, a shallow socket, overloads the labrum differently.

Hip Labral Tear

How We Diagnose It

Exam reproduces the pinch with the hip flexed and rotated inward.X-rays show the bone shape. MRI with contrast confirms the tear and assesses the cartilage.A diagnostic injection that relieves the pain confirms the hip joint as the source.Hockey, dance, yoga and climbing athletes from the valley make up most of our labral tear patients; hip arthroscopy is done locally. Dr. Taylor, Dr. Christensen and Dr. Carlson operate at Utah Valley Hospital and American Fork Hospital.

Hip Labral Tear

Treatment Options

Physical therapy to improve hip and core control, activity modification, anti-inflammatories and an injection are the first steps and help many patients.

Persistent mechanical symptoms in a hip without arthritis are treated with hip arthroscopy to repair the labrum and reshape the bone that caused the pinch. Dr. Taylor performs hip arthroscopy.

Your options

Non-surgical

Physical therapy

Activity changes

Injection

Surgical

Hip arthroscopy

Labral repair

Biologic Treatments

Total Hip Replacement

Hip Labral Tear

Procedures That Address It

Biologic Treatments

Total Hip Replacement

Hip Labral Tear

Surgeons Who Treat It

Dr. Taylor, MD

Dual fellowship trained in sports medicine and in shoulder and elbow surgery. Former Division I football player.

Dr. Christensen, MD

Andrews Institute sports medicine fellowship under Dr. James Andrews. Board certified in orthopedic surgery and orthopedic sports medicine. Fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Carlson, MD

Arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder, elbow, knee, hip and ankle. Published sports medicine researcher. Fourteen years in practice.

or call801-640-0000

ContactTalk toa real person.

Two clinics, one number to call or text. Same-day appointments for acute injuries whenever we can. The front desk will match you with the right surgeon.

Call801-640-0000

TextSend a text

Provo1055 N 300 W, Ste 104

Orem700 W 800 N, Ste 330