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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment choices will depend on the severity of your symptoms. Some people recover in a few weeks with conservative treatments, while others may require arthroscopic surgery to repair or remove the torn portion of the labrum.
Medications
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve, others), can relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Pain can also be controlled with an injection of corticosteroids into the joint.
Therapy
A physical therapist can teach you exercises to maximize hip range of motion and improve hip strength and stability. A physical therapist can also analyze the movements you perform that put stress on your hip joint and help you avoid these forces.
Surgical and other procedures
If you have a hip labral tear and experience hip pain for more than four to 12 weeks despite physical therapy, or if you have mechanical symptoms of your hip locking, your doctor may recommend arthroscopic surgery — in which a fiber-optic camera and surgical tools are inserted via small incisions in your skin.
Depending on the cause and extent of the tear, the surgeon may cut out and remove the torn piece of labrum or repair the torn tissue by sewing it back together.
Many people are able to return to sports within four to six months after the surgery.
- DeLee JC, et al. Delee & Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. 3rd. ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1114018653&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00021-X--s0040&isbn=978-1-4160-3143-7&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00021-X--s0540&uniqId=234934476-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00021-X--s0540. Accessed Feb. 5, 2011.
- Groh MM. A comprehensive review of hip labral tears. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2009;2:105.
- Bharam S. Labral tears, extra-articular injuries, and hip arthroscopy in the athlete. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2006;25:279.
- Kovacevic D, et al. Injuries about the hip in the adolescent athlete. Sports Medicine Arthroscopy Review 2011;19:64.
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