
Nonsurgical Treatments for Hip Labral Tears
- Rest. Limited activity is advised to control discomfort, including the activities that bring on hip pain.
- NSAIDs. Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, for a limited period may reduce inflammation and pain in the hip area.
- Injections. ...
- Physical Therapy. ...
Can a labral tear heal on its own?
Apr 11, 2022 · Treatments for Acetabular Labral Tear. When your symptoms do not improve over time, your doctor will try a variety of treatment options to relieve your pain. Those treatments often include: 1. Medications. Your doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen and ibuprofen to alleviate pain and inflammation.
What is the recovery time for a labral tear without surgery?
Based on these findings, it appears that conservative management is effective at rehabilitating athletes with acetabular labral tears. However, this method should not be applied to every athlete based on the low strength of current research. Treatment plans should be decided upon on a case-by-case basis.
Is surgery necessary for labral tear?
Refixation or repair (stitching the torn tissue back together) Reconstruction (reconfiguring damaged tissue using healthy tissue from elsewhere on your body or from a donor) Debridement (removing a small piece of labral tissue) If FAI is also present, it will be addressed (removed) at the same time to help prevent the labrum from tearing again.
What does recovery look like after a labral tear surgery?
Jan 20, 2019 · Patients with a groin pain suspected to be a symptom of acetabular labral tear may initially receive a conservative treatment consisting of rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, pain medications if necessary, modification of activities, physical therapy (PT) and intra-articular injection (IAI). [ 33]

Can a labral tear in the hip heal itself?
A hip labral tear won't heal on its own, but rest and other measures can help manage symptoms of a minor tear. Nonsurgical treatments include: Anti-inflammatory medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®) can reduce inflammation.
How do you treat a labral tear in the hip without surgery?
Effective non-surgical solutions include rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medication. Most patients with hip labral tears don't need surgery, but injuries that don't respond to conservative methods may require minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery.Oct 25, 2018
What is the best treatment for labral tear in hip?
Treatment depends on how severe your symptoms are. Some people recover in a few weeks with conservative treatments, including rest and modified activities; others need arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn portion of the labrum.Feb 5, 2022
What happens if a labral tear in the hip goes untreated?
If a labral tear is left untreated, it will lead to ongoing and worsening pain. A normal labrum is important to the normal function of the hip joint. A torn labrum leads to cartilage damage and eventual arthritis of the hip joint.
Will cortisone injection help hip labral tear?
Cortisone will NOT repair a torn labrum. Some patients receive several months of relief, but others do not receive more than a few days of relief. It is not advisable to resume high impact activities if the cortisone injection decreases pain from the hip because of concerns of further damage to the torn labrum.
What aggravates hip labral tear?
Many patients with labral tears describe a constant dull pain with intermittent episodes of sharp pain that worsens with activity. Walking, pivoting, prolonged sitting, and impact activities, such as running, often aggravate symptoms.
Do you need a hip replacement for a labral tear?
Total hip replacement may be recommended if hip osteoarthritis is present in addition to a hip labral tear. A new hip may dramatically improve your quality of life by alleviating pain and restoring function and a full range of motion.
Is hip labrum surgery worth it?
Doctors recommend labral tear surgery to patients who they think are good candidates—these patient are not at high risk for surgical complications and are likely to have good postsurgical results. For other patients, a hip replacement or other hip surgery may be considered.
What is the recovery time for a hip labral tear?
Every patient is unique in their specific injury and recovery. While most patients can expect to spend four months in one-on-one treatment with a physical therapist, it could take up to nine months to fully recover. Most patients should be able to return to normal activities by four to five months post-surgery.Jun 15, 2021
When does a labral tear require surgery?
Surgery may be required if the tear gets worse or does not improve after physical therapy. "If physical therapy fails and the athlete still can't complete overhead motions, or the shoulder continues to dislocate, surgical treatment might be required to reattach the torn ligaments and labrum to the bone," says Dr.Nov 10, 2020
What to avoid if you have a hip labral tear?
What Should be Avoided with a Hip Labral Tear? Positions of pain such as excessive hip extension, jumping and pivoting should be avoided as it can cause impingement of the hip joint and spasm of the surrounding musculature.Aug 8, 2020
Can labrum tears get worse?
When this happens, the labral tissue may start to tear. If the tear gets worse, it may become a flap of tissue that can move in and out of the joint, getting caught between the head of the humerus and the glenoid. The flap can cause pain and catching when you move your shoulder.
How to tell if you have a labral tear?
The symptoms of a hip labral tear include: Hip pain or stiffness. Pain in the groin or buttocks area. A clicking or locking sound in the hip area when you move. Feeling unsteady on your feet. If you have a hip labral tear, hip pain or discomfort may get worse when you bend, move or rotate the hip, or exercise or play sports.
What is a labral tear in the hip?
A hip labral tear is an injury to the labrum, the soft tissue that covers the acetabulum (socket) of the hip. A hip labral tear can be caused by injury, structural problems, or degenerative issues. Symptoms include pain in the hip or stiffness. A hip labral tear can be treated nonsurgically, or with surgery in severe cases.
What is the ball of the hip called?
A hip labral tear is an injury to the labrum, the soft tissue that covers the acetabulum. The labrum helps the femoral head move smoothly within the socket. It lets your hip move without problems or pain.
How long does it take to recover from hip arthroscopy?
Surgery: In many cases, hip arthroscopy can relieve pain from a labral tear and return hip function. Many people recover fully from surgery within 4 to 6 months, and can often return to previous athletic pursuits and physical activity.
What is the labrum?
The labrum helps the femoral head move smoothly within the socket. It lets your hip move without problems or pain. It also serves as a seal, keeping the ball and socket together but not touching. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission.
How to help hip pain?
Medication injection: Doctors can inject medications, such as steroids, into the hip joint to ease symptoms. Physical therapy: Specific physical therapy exercises to stretch and strengthen the hip muscles may help relieve pain. Physical therapy usually requires a prescription from your doctor.
Can hip pain go away?
While hip and joint pain usually isn’t life-threatening, it can significantly affect how you live your life. Any hip or groin pain that doesn’t go away after a few days should be evaluated by a medical specialist. If you have sudden or severe pain in the hip or groin, call your doctor right away.
How long does it take to heal labrum?
Treatment depends on how severe your symptoms are. Some people recover with conservative treatments in a few weeks ; others need arthroscopic surgery to repair or remove the torn portion of the labrum.
What can a physical therapist do for hip pain?
A physical therapist can teach you exercises to maximize hip range of motion and hip and core strength and stability. Therapists can also teach you to avoid movements that put stress on your hip joint.
Why does my hip hurt?
Hip pain can be caused by problems within the joint or outside the joint. Your doctor might suggest injecting an anesthetic into the joint space. If this relieves your pain, it's likely that your problem is inside your hip joint.
What does a doctor do when you have a hip problem?
During the physical exam, your doctor will move your leg, and especially your hip joint, into various positions to check for pain and evaluate your hip's range of motion. He or she might also watch you walk.
What is the best medication for arthritis pain?
Medications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Pain can also be controlled temporarily with an injection of corticosteroids into the joint.
Can labral tear be seen in isolation?
A hip labral tear rarely occurs in isolation. In most cases, other structures within the hip joint also have injuries. X-rays are excellent at visualizing bone. They can check for fractures and for structural abnormalities.
What is labral tear?
An acetabular labral tear is where this lip of cartilage around the rim tears. It causes sharp catching pains in the hip – often felt in the groin or thigh. If symptoms fail to settle with rest / physiotherapy then you need to see a specialist surgeon. The best investigation is a 3T (a high-res 3-Tesla) MRI scan.
What is the acetabular labrum?
The acetabular labrum is a rim of elastic cartilage around the edge of the socket of the hip, and, just like the knee cartilages, can tear causing symptoms in the joint.
What is the acetabulum?
The acetabulum is the socket of the hip joint, within the bones of the pelvis. The acetabular socket is lined with a layer of smooth articular cartilage, which is extremely low friction and which also provides some degree of shock absorbency. The peripheral rim of the acetabulum is surrounded by a lip of fibrocartilage (elastic cartilage, ...
Can labral tears be treated?
Labral tears may be treated with physiotherapy. Evidence suggests that this can often provide good long-term benefits. However, hip arthroscopy (keyhole surgery of the hip) may provide better longer-term benefits for acetabular labral tears.
Why does my labrum tear?
The labrum can tear for many reasons. Some people get a torn labrum from falls or car accidents. Sports that require regular rotation of the hip -- like golf, soccer, hockey, and ballet -- increase the risk. So do running and sprinting. But almost 75% cases of torn acetabular labrum have no known direct cause.
What is the labrum of the hip?
The labrum is a band of tough cartilage and connective tissue that lines the rim of the hip socket, or acetabulum. It cushions the joint of the hip bone, preventing the bones from directly rubbing against each other. The labrum also helps keep the leg bone in place ...
What does it mean when your hip is tearing?
A hip (acetabular) labral tear is damage to cartilage and tissue in the hip socket. In some cases, it causes no symptoms. In others it causes pain in the groin. It can make you feel like your leg is "catching" or "clicking" in the socket as you move it. Over time, labral tears in the hip may cause permanent damage to the joint.
How to repair labrum tear?
Surgical Treatment for Hip Labral Tears 1 Arthroscopic labral debridement. This technique involves trimming or smoothing the area of the labrum that is torn, usually performed through an arthroscopic procedure. This procedure may be recommended if the surgeon believes that a frayed labrum is causing symptoms or could cause future symptoms. 2 Arthroscopic hip labral repair. This may be recommended when the labrum has separated from the bone. During a labral repair, the doctor will reattach the torn labrum to the hip’s socket (acetabulum) using small metal or plastic “anchors” and sterile thread. 3 #N#See Surgery for Repairing a Torn Hip Labrum#N# 4 Arthroscopic hip labral replacement. Labral replacement, sometimes called labral reconstruction, may be recommended when the labrum is too damaged to repair.
What is labral repair?
Arthroscopic hip labral repair. This may be recommended when the labrum has separated from the bone. During a labral repair, the doctor will reattach the torn labrum to the hip’s socket (acetabulum) using small metal or plastic “anchors” and sterile thread. See Surgery for Repairing a Torn Hip Labrum.
What to do for hip pain?
Limited activity is advised to control discomfort, including the activities that bring on hip pain. NSAIDs. Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, for a limited period may reduce inflammation and pain in the hip area. Injections.
How long does it take to recover from hip replacement surgery?
The general rule is that weight bearing is limited for 4 to 6 weeks and a custom rehabilitation protocol should begin soon after the procedure.
What is the best treatment for hip pain?
A corticosteroid may be added to the injection depending upon the level of hip pain and any other existing hip problems. Physical Therapy. A licensed physical therapist can provide an individual treatment plan. The plan may focus on strengthening the buttocks, thigh, and back, while also improving hip stability.
What is the best tool to repair labrum?
Most surgical options for labral repair are minimally invasive, using a tool called an arthroscope . The arthroscope is about the size of a pencil and equipped with a tiny television camera, allowing the surgeon to view and repair the damaged labrum without having to make a large incision.
What is labral debridement?
Arthroscopic labral debridement. This technique involves trimming or smoothing the area of the labrum that is torn, usually performed through an arthroscopic procedure. This procedure may be recommended if the surgeon believes that a frayed labrum is causing symptoms or could cause future symptoms.
