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The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbus, OH · Fellowship · Henry Ford Health System
Condition

Hip Labral Tear

Hip Labral Tear care in Columbus, OH

Labeled medical illustration of hip labral tear
FigureHip Labral Tear
  • Care areaHip
  • Treated byWilliam Kel Vasileff, MD
The short answer

A hip labral tear is an injury to the ring of cartilage that lines the rim of the hip socket. It can cause groin pain, catching, and stiffness. Dr. Vasileff evaluates hip labral tears in Columbus and treats them with options that begin with non-surgical care and include arthroscopic repair when needed.

William Kel Vasileff diagnoses and treats hip labral tear in Columbus, from the first visit through recovery.

What is Hip Labral Tear?

The labrum is a ring of firm cartilage around the edge of the hip socket.

It deepens the socket, helps hold the ball of the joint in place, and cushions movement. A tear is a split or fraying in that ring.

Labral tears can come from a single injury, from repeated twisting and pivoting in sports, or from the shape of the hip bones, which is called impingement. Some tears also appear alongside early arthritis.

Common symptoms are a deep ache or sharp pain in the groin, a catching or clicking feeling, and stiffness. Pain often increases with long sitting, walking, or pivoting. Some people have no symptoms at all, and a tear is found while looking for something else.

How is Hip Labral Tear diagnosed, and what does the visit involve?

A hip labral tear is diagnosed with a history, a physical exam, and imaging.

Your physician asks about your symptoms and moves the hip through positions that stress the labrum to see what reproduces the pain. X-rays check the shape of the bones and look for arthritis. The clearest picture of the labrum comes from an MRI, a scan that shows soft tissue, often with a contrast dye placed in the joint to outline a tear.

Medical illustration of Hip Arthroscopy
Hip ArthroscopyMedical illustration of Hip Arthroscopy Read more

What is recovery like for Hip Labral Tear?

Many labral tears improve with time, therapy, and activity changes, so non-surgical care is usually the first step.

When pain continues to limit activity, or when the tear is linked to the shape of the bones, arthroscopic treatment may be discussed. The right path depends on your symptoms, your activity goals, and what the imaging shows. Your physician will review the options with you.

What do patients ask most?

Can a hip labral tear heal on its own?
The labrum has a limited blood supply, so a tear does not usually knit back together the way some other tissues do. Even so, many people become comfortable and active again with therapy and activity changes, because symptoms can settle even when the tear remains.
Do I need surgery for a hip labral tear?
Not always. Many people manage a labral tear without surgery through physical therapy and by adjusting the activities that trigger pain. Surgery is considered when non-surgical care does not relieve symptoms, or when the tear is tied to bone shape that keeps causing damage.
What does a hip labral tear feel like?
The most common feeling is a deep ache or sharp pain in the groin, sometimes with catching, clicking, or a sense that the hip locks. Pain often worsens with prolonged sitting, walking, or twisting. Symptoms vary, and an exam is needed to confirm the cause.
Is a labral tear the same as hip impingement?
They are related but not the same. Impingement is an abnormal shape of the hip bones that causes the ball and socket to pinch. That pinching can, over time, cause a labral tear. Many people have both, which is why they are often evaluated together.

What are the treatment options?

  1. 01
    Rest and activity changes to avoid the movements that trigger pain, such as deep pivotingRest and activity changes to avoid the movements that trigger pain, such as deep pivoting.
  2. 02
    Physical therapy to strengthen the hip and core and to improve the way the joint movesPhysical therapy to strengthen the hip and core and to improve the way the joint moves.
  3. 03
    Anti-inflammatory medication, when appropriate and reviewed with your physicianAnti-inflammatory medication, when appropriate and reviewed with your physician.
  4. 04
    A guided injection into the joint, which can ease pain and help confirm the source of itA guided injection into the joint, which can ease pain and help confirm the source of it.
  5. 05
    Hip arthroscopy, a surgery using a small camera and thin instruments through tiny incisionHip arthroscopy, a surgery using a small camera and thin instruments through tiny incisions, to repair or trim the labrum when non-surgical care does not resolve symptoms.

Who treats hip labral tear in Columbus?

William Kel Vasileff is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who treats hip labral tear in Columbus, OH. Fellowship trained at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States (Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports Medicine). Dr. Vasileff sees patients at the practice in Columbus; appointments can be requested through this site.

How do payments work?

Contact the office to confirm insurance participation.

William Kel Vasileff, MD
Orthopedic surgeonWilliam Kel Vasileff, MD

Fellowship trained at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States (Orthopaedic Surgery, Sports Medicine). Sees patients in Columbus.

About Dr. Vasileff
Appointments

Talk through hip labral tear with Dr. Vasileff

Call the office or request an appointment. Accepting new patients.