The Hip in Athletes The hip joint is a very stable joint and is less often injured than the knee or shoulder. However, when it is injured, playing through the pain can be very difficult and often not advisable. The most common cause of hip problems in the athlete is called femoral-acetabular impingement or FAI. FAI is caused by a mismatch in the ball and socket so that when the hip is moved the ball runs into the socket and the structures in between can be pinched. This leads to tearing of the labrum (seal around the outside of the socket) and damage to the cartilage in the ball and socket joint. Dr. Petre is one of the few fellowship trained hip surgeons in the mid-atlantic region who performs repairs or reconstructs the acetabular labrum arthroscopically. Other common injuries include strains or tears to the muscles and tendons around the joint, bursitis, and arthritis. There are many reasons for having hip and groin pain (see table), the most important first step is to determine why your hip hurts.
Hip arthroscopy is a new minimally invasive technique for the reconstruction of the injured hip joint. Using specialized hip tools, many injuries can now be treated that were previously athletic career ending. For more information about a particular condition, please click below.
- Femoral-Acetabular Impingement (FAI)
- Hip Labral Repair
- Hip Labral Reconstruction
- Hip Cartilage Injuries
- Psoas (hip flexor) Tendonitis
- Gluteus Medius Tendonitis
- Hip Arthritis
- Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Here is a link to a patients recovery story: http://amyrecovery.blogspot.com/