Telltale Symptoms of a Hip Labrum Tear

Your hip joints have to take a lot of pressure and wear-and-tear, especially if you play a sport where you’re often jumping or twisting. 

At Performance Pain & Sports Medicine of Houston, Texas, and Lawrenceville and Raritan, New Jersey, Dr. Suzanne Manzi and Dr. Matthias Wiederholz specialize in sports medicine and can help with potential hip and groin problems like a hip labrum tear.

What’s your hip labrum? Let our team tell you more, and warn you about telltale signs and symptoms of a hip labrum tear (also known as a hip labral tear) before the issue starts to affect your game.

What’s a hip labrum?

Your hip joint needs to be able to move and shift without coming out of alignment or coming apart. That’s where your hip labrum comes into the picture. The hip labrum is a ring of cartilage that runs all the way around the outer edge of your hip socket. It acts as a seal, keeping your thighbone held inside your hip socket.

You need your hip labrum to be in good shape for smooth, rapid movement, an important part of the elite physical function required for you to keep your competitive edge. So how can you know if you’ve suffered a hip labrum tear or hip labrum injury, or if you have a higher-than-usual risk of tearing your hip labrum?

Signs and symptoms of a hip labrum tear

A hip labrum tear can be uncomfortable for some. However, not everyone who experiences hip labrum damage feels symptoms, meaning that it can be difficult to detect this injury much of the time.

Your symptoms may appear gradually, over the course of multiple years, often related to repetitive use stress, or can arise suddenly after a sports injury or other trauma.

Common symptoms of a hip labrum tear include:

• Your affected hip joint seeming to lock, click, or catch when moving
• Loss of range of motion in your affected hip
• Pain and stiffness in your affected hip and groin that may worsen after standing, walking, sitting, or practicing for long amounts of time

If your discomfort and limited motion last more than six weeks, or if you’re concerned about a potential hip labrum tear and don’t want to take time off of training to wait it out, come in to be evaluated by one of our hip and groin experts. Hip labrum tears make you more likely to develop osteoarthritis in your affected joint.

Who’s at risk for a hip labrum injury?

You have a heightened risk of hip labrum injuries and tears if you play a sport like soccer, ice hockey, football, or golf, or if you’re a ballet dancer. You may also have underlying structural issues with your hip that make you more likely to suffer hip labrum injuries.

Our sports medicine experts are here to provide you with top-level care, including diagnosis for potential hip labrum tears and other hip and groin conditions. We can also recommend strengthening and flexibility exercises to support your hips if your sport puts you at risk of a hip labrum tear.

Schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable providers today by calling our location most convenient to you. Or request an appointment online.