Hip pain is a common complaint among athletes of all ages. Injuries, arthritis, and genetic makeup are all culprits of chronic hip pain. Your hip is a complex joint made to handle a lot of action. Over time, wear and tear can cause pain, inflammation, and lack of mobility.
You’re probably familiar with hip replacement surgery, which seeks to alleviate pain and inflammation through the replacement of the damaged joint with artificial components. Hip preservation, on the other hand, uses minimally invasive treatment options to relieve hip pain, while preserving the natural hip joint. Hip preservation procedures can delay or even prevent the need for a hip replacement.
Hip preservation can be used to treat conditions such as labral tears, impingement, gluteus medius and proximal hamstring tears. The goal is to use minimally invasive surgical techniques such as hip arthroscopy. Some procedures may include labrum repair, arthroscopic removal of bony impingement and osteotomy.
Diagnosing impingement and labral tear of the hip can be difficult, as hip preservation surgical procedures are not common among all orthopedic surgeons. This innovative concept of hip surgery is relatively new, and should be done by an expert in this subspecialty of orthopedic surgery in order to receive an accurate diagnosis.
Non-surgical treatment options are usually the first option for painful hip injuries. In some cases, hip preservation surgery may be the next option for returning to play, or living an active life without hip pain. Hip preservation can help decrease the onset of arthritis in patients with good cartilage, and also lower the need for hip replacement in years to come.
Hip preservation is more favorable for young, active people with mild degeneration and do not have end-stage arthritis. Contact the Hip Preservation and Groin Center if you have an athletic injury that is not responding to non-surgical treatments, or may be misdiagnosed by another provider. Hip preservation can help decrease the onset of arthritis in patients with good cartilage, and also lower the need for hip replacement in years to come.
AUTHOR: Srino Bharam MD, MBA is a board-certified, fellowship-trained sports medicine orthopedic surgeon and professor of orthopedic surgery specializing in the treatment of athletic injuries of the hip and groin. Dr. Bharam has over 20 years of experience in treating injuries and conditions of the hip with the goal of restoring athletes and patients to an active lifestyle.
