The labrum of the hip is a fibrocartilage ring which attaches to the rim of the acetabulum (hip socket). It’s role is to provide stability to the hip joint by deepening the socket, distributing pressure of the femoral head and acting as a shock absorber. It also acts as a seal for the hip joint, maintaining a negative pressure inside of the joint, adding to stability.
Up to 22% of athletes who complain of groin pain have a labral tear in the hip, yet almost 75% of cases have no known direct cause. Injury to the labrum may occur with a one-off stress or trauma to the tissue, however it seems it more commonly occurs with repetitive micro trauma to the tissue, especially with activities involving hip rotation.
Overload to the labrum may occur because of weakness and poor control of the deep stabilising muscles of the hip, congenital anatomical variations which lead to a pinching effect in the hip joint, capsular laxity/Hip hypermobility and participation in high velocity sports, involving twisting and sudden changes in direction.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of a labral tear can be made by your physiotherapist based on the symptoms, mechanism of injury and with a series of orthopaedic tests. However, in some cases, diagnosis may need to be confirmed with imaging, such as X-ray and MRI.
Symptoms may include :
- Anterior hip, groin or buttock pain.
- Pain, particularly with deep hip flexion and twisting of the hip.
- Clicking, locking &/or giving way in the hip.
Management
Initial management involves rest from aggravating activities, often accompanied by a course of anti-inflammatory medication. Deep tissue releases and Joint mobilisation to restore any limited mobility can be helpful.
Following this, a course of progressive strength and stability exercises is undertake, aimed at improving technique and reducing abnormal loading of the hip joint.
In the more severe cases, or when conservative management has failed to resolve pain or dysfunction, surgery may be indicated. This can involve re-attachment of the labrum, removing the damaged section, and/or surgical repair of other structural issues.
If you’ve got persistent hip pain that is affecting your daily life, book an appointment today with one of our expert physios at In Balance Physiotherapy – get rid of the pain; get back to doing the things you want to do!
