Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Labral Hip Tear and Arthroscopic surgery

I was just diagnoised with a labral tear of my right hip, was not told exactly where but was told by my orthopedic that I had to go to another specialist that does the arthroscopic surgery.  I have been dealing with my hip pain for over 3 years and was always told it was from bursitis until I found this doctor that finally diagnoised me with my tear.  Over  a year ago he had just done a regular MRI and found cysts in my hip joing and said there was mild arthroitis and told me to try a shot in my hip and if that did  not work then to come back.  Well the shot only lasted a month and I was so afraid of having surgery on my hip that I put off going back to the doctor until this month becuase I can hardly sit or stand with out having some type of pain and when I drive it really hurts.  The doctor said that usually the cysts that are in my hip joint are caused by a labaral tear so he had me get a MRI Arthorgram and found out that I had a tear.  I have been trying to find out some information about the surgery he said I was going to need and have found so much mixed information to recovery only being about 2 weeks to several months.  I am so afraid of having the surgery but I am afraid of not having the surgery also do to how much pain I am in now and knowing that I already have arthraits in my hip from this tear and it will only get worse.  Is there any one out there that can tell me what to expect and how long to  expect to be out of work I sit all day in a chair at a computer doing data entry.

Thank you all
TNT97
14 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1131956 tn?1304440731
I've had 2 arthroscopic hip surgeries in less than 5 months.  It's not that bad, I swear.  I was up and functioning the next day (you have to be).  The surgery IS NOT as bad as you think it's going to be.  I was laying in pre-op bawling my eyes out in fear that I would have to be in more pain than I was already in.  My surgeries were, unfortunately unsuccessful, but that's because my hip is all kinds of messed up! haha
The way you have to look at it... at this particular point in your life, what are the risks of you  NOT doing it, and what will you GAIN by doing it?  You're going to be miserable if you don't have the surgery, and there's a good chance you WON'T be miserable if you do have it.  Yeah, the first few weeks are a little tough (make sure you have someone around to help you get dressed.. pants are rough and socks are impossible lol), but you get through it because you know there is potential for tomorrow to be a HELL of a lot better than todays pain was :)
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
A related discussion, hip labral tear and low back pain was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Is "Open Reduction" wrist surgery neccessary? was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, knee pain was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Hip Locking for 6 months was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Muscle Contusion was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Finger injury problems was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My son had microfracture surgery of the elbow around 3 months ago and still has swelling is that normal
Helpful - 0
1157734 tn?1265260365
i recently had multiple fractures in both my tibia and fibula bones just above my ankle.  now have two plates and wearing a boot. will i ever be able to return to an active sports life? (snowboarding/cycling/gym fitness) how far can i push before being pushed back?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have had constant hip pain for over a year and the doctor believes that I have a labral tear. He sent me for an arthrogram with an MRI but in spite of getting three needles, the dye didn't enter the hip joint and so they were unable to diagnose the issue. He is referring me to a specialist in another area stating that no one here "deals with this kind of thing" when before he stated that there a doctor locally who does labral repair work.

Is there something else that could be going on that would prevent the dye from entering my hip joint?

Helpful - 0
1131956 tn?1304440731
Dr. Gross,
I'm writing this in desperation.  I'm 24 years old and have been suffering from hip pain since August of 2008.  After having an MRI, X-ray, and MRI with Fluoro-contrast, I was told I had a labral tear and fragmentation.  I was also told that I had a FAI, and that the femoral head would be reshaped during the arthroscopic surgery (December 2008).  During the surgery, however, they discovered there WAS NO labral tear, but the area where the tear should have been had an area of cartilage that was calloused much thicker than normally, and was very bruised and "squishy."  My iliopsoas tendon was also lengthened during surgery.  
By April of 2009, I was absolutely no better off than I was before surgery.  My surgeon decided to go in again after doing more physical therapy than I can even begin to explain, and a cortisone injection under fluoro.  He had found several adhesions that had formed and broke those up, but could not find the source of what could be causing me so much pain.
My pain is not constant, and exhibits many symptoms associated with a labral tear.  Any medial rotation of the hip causes a pinching feeling and pain in the groin; flexion above 90 degrees gives the same pain.  I have no problem with extension, and my hip is almost always laterally rotated to reduce the pain.  Having my hip in neutral will, over time, cause the pinching sensation to arise.  I frequently feel like my hip isn't in the socket the right way, and when standing or prone, I can quickly medially rotate my hip to neutral and can get my hip to grind and crack, thus relieving some of the pain temporarily.  Also, if i lay on my right side and, pardon the description, lay in the fetal position and stick my butt out, my hip will crack very strongly in the groin.  This relieves the pain for about 15 minutes, but it comes back rapidly.  I often feel my hip is grinding or something catches in the groin and will cause a debilitating "pinch" that doesn't radiate down the leg (not an obturator nerve pain).  I was seen by a nerve specialist/pain specialist that believes there is something still wrong with the joint, as the pain can be reproduced and is very localized.  Frequently, my hip will feel as though it's come away from the socket and I cannot bear my own weight.  Putting weight on it in this condition feels as though the hip will break completely and there is no stability at all.  
In October I had another cortisone injection under fluoro, and I also had a Synvisc injection to see if the increased synovial fluid would ease the grinding sensation.  Unfortunately, these only made the pain worse.  
The pain has gotten to the point that I went from being a full-time microbiology student and working in a pharmacy 25 hours a week, to having to pull out of school because I cannot walk and only working 8 hours per week.  The pain in my groin has absolutely destroyed and dominated my life.  I'm unable to sit or stand for long, and I don't sleep well at night.  Cold weather (as it is in Ohio at the moment) seems to dramatically worsen my hip, but it is rather irritated by temperature change such as getting out of a hot shower.  It feels as though my hip "locks" and I can't get it to move correctly in the joint without cracking it.  
I'm begging for help.  My surgeon is one of the best in the country, but we're both butting our heads against a wall.  He's desperate to find a solution, and I'm desperate to have my life back, be off pain medicine and get back to school so I can become a pharmacist.  Please, sir, can you help me or point me in the direction of someone who can?  I've tried so many places and nobody will see me because my surgeon has operated within a year, and because I have no insurance to cover any hip procedure or visits.  I'm 24 and would love to have my life back so that maybe I can resume life with my peers, and so that I may not be like an old woman trapped in my house for another year.  Any help at all is appreciated, sir.  My last resort is to take out loans, that would inhibit me from getting loans to go to pharmacy school, so that I can afford to see Dr. Marc Philippon in Colorado.  At this point, though, I'll do anything to get rid of this pain
Helpful - 0
1131208 tn?1260207946
Your post answered some questions for me. Thank you! I have been having hip pain for a couple years and they keep telling me it's bursitis and giving me injections and the injections are helping nothing at all. I have a recheck this week and I think I'm going to demand an MRI. He did xrays the last time I was in there and mentioned that it looked like I may have a labral tear but he said it so nonchalantly that I didn't think they were a big deal. I'm so frustrated with this hip right now! lol
Helpful - 0
700223 tn?1318165694
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hip arthroscopy is becoming a more and more commmon procedure.  It can be used to treat a variety of problems from bone spurs to labral tears, and even mild osteoarthritis.  In the case of labral tears, they can either be debrided ( cleaned up) or repaired.  Which is done will of course, affect the recovery time.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had labral debridement femerol acetabular impringement surgery three months  I have weakness of the illiopsoas muscle and pain in buttocks and low back have had a hip injection with steriods and illiopsoas injection with steriods has any one had this problem?

Thanks

mcprun

Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Forum

Popular Resources
Find out if PRP therapy right for you.
Tips for preventing one of the most common types of knee injury.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
How to bounce back fast from an ankle sprain - and stay pain free.
Patellofemoral pain and what to do about it.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.