Conditions treated

A tear of the labrum can occur either as an acute injury (similar to a cartilage tear in the knee), or as a chronic problem over time. Chronic labral tears are more common, and result from abnormal contact between the edges of the hip joint, usually the femoral bone contacting the edge of the acetabulum, and damaging the labrum that is trapped in the middle. Possible causes of this include abnormal bone on either side of the joint, or excessive joint mobility even with normal anatomy.

In almost all cases, the labral tear is repaired with sutures, but if there is an underlying cause such as excess bone it is important to address this at the same time.

This is a common condition, which doesn’t always lead to symptoms or problems, but can do in some cases. The underlying issue is an abnormal shape to the bone on one side of the joint, leading to excessive contact in certain positions. Eventually this commonly leads to tears of the labrum, but not always. In most cases the cartilage damage affects the articular cartilage at the edge of the joint, and can eventually lead to arthritis. The aim of surgery is to address as much of the cartilage damage as possible, but also to remove the excess bone causing impingement.

The psoas tendon is one of the major hip flexors, and it runs directly over the front of the hip joint, almost in contact with the anterior labrum. In some cases, the tendon gets caught, and either causes pain from inflammation and rubbing on the edge of the socket, or results in a painful “snap” as it moves backwards and forwards. If  non-operative measures fail, then this condition is relatively simple to treat with a hip arthroscopy.

inflammation of the lining of the joint can cause pain and stiffness. Hip arthroscopy can provide diagnosis through a biopsy, but also symptom relief by removing most of the inflamed tissue.

Loose bodies can appear in the hip joint from various conditions or through injury.  They can often be removed via a hip arthroscopy 

There are times when symptoms from the hip joint persist despite all non-operative management, and imaging tests fail to give a clear diagnosis. In these cases, sometimes a diagnostic hip arthroscopy is performed, with the aim of forming a definitive diagnosis. Often the cause identified can be treated at the same time.