1 year post-op hip labral tear repair/psoas lengthening

[lstar13]

I'm a nineteen year old female, and I had a labral tear repair and a psoas release/lengthening in my left hip on April 23 2007. Before my surgery, I had been a very active dancer who was having serious trouble walking around my highschool. Now, a year later, I still have very noticeable weakness in my left hip, and still get the "snapping" in the joint that first alerted me to the problem. I tried to start dancing again in january, but by this point cannot make it through more than twenty minutes of class before either weakness or pain forces me to sit down. My hip had been doing much better, but I still cannot jump and land with my whole weight on my left leg, I cannot run or do anything high-impact, and I feel uncomfortable just standing on my left leg alone. Walking more than twenty to thirty minutes at a time, even at a leisurely pace, causes such extreme pain that I am kept from sleep (hence my 3AM post here). I take Aleve every day, but it hasn't really been helping. On some of my worse days, I've considered finding a pair of crutches, but I haven't actually gone back to those yet.

Is this normal? If it's still to be expected at this point, when can I expect to stop being in this much pain? Is there anything that I can do besides icing it and physical therapy?

[DrNavneetMD]

Hello Dear,

I understand your problem well.
Since it seems that you participate in sports or other activities that require repeated twisting or pivoting motions? This makes you prone to repeated injury. And you are more likely to experience a hip labral tear.
Do you have any associated condition such as osteoarthritis or femoroacetabular impingement wherein there is much friction in your hip joint, and it  puts you at a greater risk of a hip labral tear
Exercises to maximize hip range of motion and hip strength and stability can help to improve symptoms
Consult your physical therapist who can analyze your movements which you perform that put stress on your hip joint. This would help you  relive and avoidstressful  forces. corticosteroid injection like traimcinolone into the hip joint can help provide pain relief and also reduce joint inflammation. Pain killers like Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended. This would provide pain relief. NSAIDs include such over-the-counter medications as ibuprofen and naproxen. There are no specific exercises or other steps that have been proved to prevent hip labral tear. But, program of lower extremity strength training and also core stability exercises might  prove to be helpful.

Take care

Best.

[Horses123]

I have recently been diagnosed with a labrum tear in my left hip which first presented itself while I was recovering from ooperectomy (sp?)surgery April 29.  A few weeks after surgery I had been so immobile I twisted my hip or something and it felt like it slipped and didn't want to go back into place.  It wasn't a good feeling to say the least.  I have been reading some postings and was curious is there a connection to having a hysterectomy in previous years to a labrum tear in the hip occurring at a later date?  There also appears to be a tear in the RIGHT hip as well but the MRI was ordered to concentrate on the LEFT.  The MRI readings did however mention the "probable tear in the right hip also".

I am concerned what happens if I choose not to have the labrum tear in both of my hips fixed?  Can you give me some what ifs?

A little history before April 2008:
September 2003 I was in tboned in my driver door by a car that was going approximately 80 mph when he struck me.  The impact broke my left collar bone and tore the labrum in my left shoulder.  The left shoulder was repaired arthoscopically.
February 2001 appendicitis
April 2001 partial hysterectomy (uterus) and appendectomy (yes that is right the appendectomy was not done until two months after the appendicitis attack because my doctor trusted the advice of a surgeon and gyn telling him it was female related and I needed a complete hysterectomy).  Talk about a misdiagnosis those two doctors almost killed me.

Thank you
Connie

[JAD07]

After five months of intense abdominal and hip pain and being essentially bed-ridden, an orthopedist discovered that I had a labral tear in my left hip. I had surgery about two months ago and am only now beginning to feel remotely better. My physical therapist told me that it would be AT LEAST six to eight weeks from the time I started therapy to even begin doing small things like standing long enough to cook a meal. She also told me that she doesn't expect me to FULLY recover my strength and range of motion for about a year. My doctor told me that I should avoid doing any high-impact exercises like running, jumping, etc.

I realize that you're now past the year-mark but it might be that you've done too much and aggravated the joint. Another thing you might want to bear in mind is that if you're still having a lot of swelling in your hip joint, you might want to consider stopping the Aleve. My doctor told me that NSAIDs taken consistently actually exacerbate the swelling in your body over time. It was only after I went off all meds that the swelling in my hip went down.

One of the biggest things I've learned during this experience is that doctors aren't really sure how long it takes patients to recover from this particular surgery. My doctor told me that if I had had the same surgery in my knee or shoulder, he could tell me exactly how long it would take to heal but that he had no idea how long it might take since this was done in my hip. This procedure just hasn't been around long enough for them to know. Perhaps you should revisit your orthopedist because another thing mine told me is that about a third of patients who have this surgery have to have a hip replacement within five years from fixing the labral tear. You might be in that group.

I hope this helps some and good luck!!!

JAD

[stacey2710]

I am about 3 and 1/2 months post-op from a right hip arthroscopy.for a labral tear.  My recovery has been VERY SLOW.  I am shocked at the messages I've been seeing where people feel no pain after only a few weeks.  I cannot stay away from Celebrex for more than 24 hours at at a time.  I am so frustrated with the continuous pain.  Not as intense as pre-op, but still in the same area, on the outer side of my hip/thigh, and in my right buttock.  I pray every day for the pain to subside... I don't know what is going on.  My PT is great and I do it daily (bike, treadmill, leg lifts, theraband, etc.).  I thought by now I'd feel a difference.  Is anyone else more than 2 months post-op and still experiencing such pain like this?  Please share your experience and what your doctor is telling you.  Thanks.

[skootz]

I am just a few weeks post surgery.  | am still in severe pain.

What is your post op. pain?  my pains are basically the exact pains that i had prior to surgery.  I cannot bear full weight on my right side yet and doctors nurse said I should of been down to one crutch after a week.  I am very depressed as the pain is the same and not even a healing sort of pain...is this what you are all talking about, healing or pre op pain.

[Anissia]

I had a hip scope  (left) 12/18/08.  I had a spur on my femur, frayed labrum (very red), and psoas release.
At this point, I am walking without a crutch, but still keep one around if I need it.  I walk, limp rather, very similar to how I was before the surgery.
I can say there are improvements from the day of surgery, but cant tell if there are any improvements yet from the original problem.
(Which mine was a progressive weakness that occurred for over 2 years.
Went from very active to sedentary..........what a sad time!)

I understand that this is not a "quick healing" process, and takes lots of PT.
I hope that the surgery works, that has been my biggest fear!
Good luck to everyone!

[gingermike777]

I had a right hip labral tear and had surgery last Nov. I was in pain for a few months but mostly from nerve damage from the surgery.  I now think I have a tear again as I am having the same problems I had before the last surgery.  I question if I should go to the same Dr. who did my repair last time or to another, did he do the job right or is this just something that happens.  I am not into sports, but I am active everyday.  Good luck with everything everyone.  I have to say the shots everyday in the belly to thin the blood were hard but the surgery was rather easy.  Recovery from Nerve damage is the hardest and I now just have no feeling in part of my upper leg.

Good Luck Everyone