What this area covers
Hip pain in a young, active person is often mistaken for a groin strain that will not go away. Many of these patients turn out to have a labral tear or femoroacetabular impingement, where extra bone on the ball or socket pinches during deep bending and rotation. Dr. Brash also treats hip arthritis, tendon tears on the outside of the hip, and hamstring injuries at the sit bone in both athletes and older active patients.
Typical non-surgical options
Care usually begins with physical therapy aimed at hip and core strength, changes to training, and anti-inflammatory medication. An image-guided injection into the hip can relieve pain and also help confirm that the joint itself is the source of the problem.
Typical surgical options
Hip arthroscopy can repair a torn labrum and reshape the bone causing impingement through small incisions. Tendon repair and, for advanced arthritis, hip replacement are the other main options.
What recovery generally looks like
After hip arthroscopy most people use crutches for a few weeks and follow a careful therapy program for several months. The return to running and sport is gradual, and it depends in part on how much cartilage wear was present at the time of surgery.
Conditions treated
Plain-language descriptions of what each problem is and what treatment usually involves.
Hip pain in an active adult is often blamed on the groin muscles when the problem is actually inside the joint or in the tendons around it.
Labral Tear and FAI
Also called femoroacetabular impingement, hip impingement
Femoroacetabular impingement is extra bone on the ball or the socket of the hip that pinches during deep bending and rotation, and it frequently tears the labrum. It typically causes groin pain, stiffness, and soreness after sitting for a long stretch. Therapy is the first step, and hip arthroscopy can repair the labrum and reshape the bone when symptoms persist.
Hip Arthritis
Hip arthritis wears away the cartilage between the ball and socket, producing groin or buttock pain, a limp, and difficulty putting on socks and shoes. Early stages respond to activity changes, therapy, and sometimes an injection. Hip replacement is considered when pain limits walking, sleep, and daily life.
Gluteal Tendon Tears
Also called hip abductor tears, greater trochanteric pain syndrome
The gluteus medius and minimus tendons attach on the outside of the hip and can fray or tear. The result is pain over the bony point of the hip that is worse when lying on that side or climbing stairs, and it is often mislabeled as simple bursitis. Treatment begins with targeted therapy and injections, with repair considered for tears that do not respond.
Hamstring Injury
Hamstring injuries range from a common muscle strain to a tendon that pulls off the sit bone, called a proximal hamstring avulsion. Strains improve with a progressive strengthening program, while a full avulsion in an active person is often repaired surgically. Sudden pain during sprinting followed by bruising down the back of the thigh is a warning sign worth imaging.
The information on this website is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Call your physician or 911 for medical concerns.