The hip labrum is a cartilaginous ring that extends around the outside of the hip socket as seen in the illustration below. Hip labral tears manifest as sharp, nagging pain deep in the hip or the groin areas. Pain associated with a hip labral tear may also refer down the thigh towards the knee. Car accidents and chronic repetitive stress imposed from years of sports or yoga are often root causes of hip labral tears. Women appear to be much more susceptible to this type of injury.
Hip labral surgery is a comparatively new orthopedic procedure that seeks to repair the labrum and thus stabilize the hip socket. This type of surgery is becoming less invasive from year to year: the patients that we see now have very small surgical scars and fewer post-operative precautions.
Precautions & Expectations in Regards to Hip Labral Repair Surgeries
1. Almost all post-operative labral repair patients are “non-weight bearing” for a minimum of two weeks following the surgery. Patients use crutches during this time frame. In terms of rehabilitation, I ask patients to lie flat on a bed or on the floor for a period of time each day that he or she is using crutches. The purpose of this is to allow the hip flexor muscles to relax into a neutral position, as suspending one’s leg while using crutches does require prolonged flexion of the hip.
2. Swelling in the hip area is an inevitable effect of surgery and causes the surrounding muscles to “shut down.” Isometric exercises are typically started shortly after surgery in order to minimize the negative effects of swelling. The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, hip adductors, and hip flexors can all be trained gently through isometric exercise. There are many resources on the Internet that can lead you in the right direction in terms of isometric exercise instruction.
3. Pain in the lower back and pelvis following labral repair surgery is common because of muscular imbalance. The spine in general does not handle asymmetry well: if one leg cannot accept weight well for a prolonged period of time, the lower back and pelvis are loaded too heavily from the stronger side. In order to minimize this effect, in rehabilitation we encourage the patient to work on idealizing the mobility of the lower back and pelvis through a series of exercises (see Why all the Fuss about the Gluteus Maximus and The Clamshell Exercise). It also goes without saying that the sooner the patient regains his or her strength and weight bearing capacity on the surgical side, the better the lower back and pelvis will feel.
We have two (2) exercises on our “media” tab under the abdominal section: “pelvic clock” and “pelvic control” are good ideas in terms of restoring lower back and pelvic alignment. The password to get into the exercises is “patient.”
Great for ankle stabilization training! Use it for single leg balance, air squats, or as a way to cushion your knees while performing exercises in a kneeling position.
5. With hip and knee surgery in particular, people have the long-term tendency to develop habits that keep them from maintaining full weight and strength through the leg. Avoid crossing your surgical leg over the uninvolved leg when seated, and when standing, force yourself to bear your weight equally through both legs. The body will often unconsciously try to default over to the non-surgical side because it has learned to do so. Initial post-surgical weight bearing precautions are a necessary evil: people need to re-teach their bodies to accept weight equally, and this may takes months of practice.
PhysioDC Podcast: Experts Talk About The Hip
Andrew Wolff, MD (orthopedic surgeon) and Dana Logan, MSPT (physical therapist specializing in hip rehabilitation) discuss everything that you need to know about advances in hip surgery and conservative management. This episode is a must for anybody wanting to know more about FAI, hip labral surgery/reconstruction, and rehabilitation of the hip.
Visit our PhysioDC podcast page.
Hi-I had a labral debridement 12/28/16
Anterosuperior tear, degenerative
Grade 2 chrondromalacia, femoral head
Grade 3&4chondromalacia acetabulum.
Significant amount of chrondeal loose bodies-removed-everything else debrided-cartilage flaps stabilized with waver and wand. My surgeon said I can do low impact exercises a week later-did some stationary biking, barre and yoga classes-modified and spaced it all out-yesterday 1/20/17-severe pain especially in groin, quadriceps, perifomus, and using a crutch-got a massage hoping it would help and worse now than ever…..I’m obviously pulling back working out -any other advise? I see my PT Thursday.thanks!!!!
Definitely back off on the exercise. I am thinking that the yoga might be the culprit here. I would not do any extreme ranged stretching. I would go over everything that you want to be doing long term with the PT and ask him or her how these activities should be modified.
Hi Doc,
I am 12 weeks post op hip arthroscopy and debridement cam shave, I still lots of fluid around the area. I am also can do any isometric exercises as my hip and groin lock!!!.
my surgeon ahs told me to give it another to see if the fluid and pain will be any better if not he will refer to another surgeon for 2nd opinion. I am bit worried what they might find.
Any advice or what can be causing these issues.
thanks
Bobby
That is a tough one to answer. It takes most people quite some to come out of one of these procedures, very often six months or more. I think that it is a good idea to get the second opinion in the mean time to see if anything strikes the doctor as highly abnormal. I would keep the exercise very minimal. If you cannot handle isometrics, perhaps you can get some alternative ideas from your PT that would incorporate gentle gliding motions with exercise. (Maybe a partial ranged clamshell exercise, or heel slides???)
Thanks for the advice. I have notice that my hips still look very swollen still is that due to the ops or walking on feet . My Doctor has stated to me that I should not be taking painkillers for this length of time on a regular basis.
It could be a combination of both??? I would limit the walking in the mean time. Walk only where you have to and see if this has a positive effect on the swelling.
I had my labral repaired and also FAI one month ago. I still have a lot of pain sitting. The pain is exactly what it was before surgery. My Dr says this is normal and it takes time but I don’t how much longer I can tolerate this. I have a sit down office job and I can’t seem to get comfortable sitting. I’ve tried a cushion, box under my desk to keep my leg up and now using a beach TowEl I’ve rolled to give me height. is this normal to feel pain sitting now that I am 1 month post op? I no longer use crutches and walk with a slight limp.
Ugh, that stinks. It is not unheard of to have that type of pain one month post-op. It should ramp down, but it will likely take some time. Maybe you can get a “varidesk” type deal for your work set up? Splitting time between sitting and standing might help, and it is a good idea for long term health anyways.
Hi, I had hip arthroscopy three years ago after I noticed pain while backpacking. I fulfilled all my pt and have been fine. I usually walk about 10 miles a week and play racquetball. But I was planning a big backpack trip later this year and started tackling some hills a few days ago. My hip pain is back, and I’m worried that I retore my labrum again. I know the doc shaved my bone down, but the pain is so familiar I can’t imagine it being something else. Is there a way to test if it’s a year vs a muscle strain or tendonitis?
Have a doc or the PT eval it. The hip needs to be scoured around and a few resisted tests should probably be done. Labral or joint issues tend to involve a more deep, groin pain.
I am 58 yr male and had hip scope about 7 weeks ago. Also had surgery for torn core muscle performed at the sane time. I had both a cam and pincer impingement and torn labrum. 5 anchors were placed. My pain is localized mainly in anterior groin and the muscle are tight in this area. This is my second surgery as the first one was unsuccessful( different surgeon, didn’t anchor labrum or remove enough bone). I am doing PT as much as possible . I guess I am getting frustrated just wanted input on where I should be in the rehab process.
Given that this is a second surgery, your rehab time is going to be a bit more protracted. You are going to have to be super patient about this whole process. My guess is that you will have to wait at least six to eight months to see what kind of benefit you are going to have.
Groin pain at this point in the rehab is not uncommon at all. I would also tend to think that less is more at this stage. Don’t overdo your routines, and allow for a few days off per week to facilitate healing.
I had an open hip osteochrondoplasty on Dec 9 2016. I was non weight bearing for 7 weeks and now I am at 25 percent. I test myself to see if I can walk on my leg more but my butt hurts and in the crease of my thigh. Every now and then I have sharp pains on the side of my thigh and issues sleeping comfortably. I am scheduled to return to work in March and active at work. What can I do to be ready? And when does the pain stop? My right hip will need surgery too and I refuse lol!!
Ugh. I would start with doing a daily routine of table hip exercises and work my way up to full weight bearing exercises under the guidance of your PT. If you don’t have a PT, get one. The pain can take months to go down. I would also make sure that you are doing some pelvic exercises and stretches to minimize the aligmnent changes that have occurred because of your uneven weight bearing over the past few months. The alignment thing in particular can be a huge pain in the rear, both literally and figuratively. Best of luck, you will get there, you just need to be focused and patient.
Hi,
I am 11 days post op from an arthroscopic anterior labral tear repair and reshape of my femoral head (removing quite a bit of bone). I was actually doing very well, able to bear ~50% weight a few days after surgery, very little pain, pretty good range of motion, able to flex (maybe to 90 degrees-unintentionally), and begin riding my upright bike on day 4 (No resistance). Since about day 5, able to go short distance without crutches.Things seemed pretty good!
Well…. On day 8, I noticed some sharp pain deep in my groin and right below my glute (very deep) while riding my bike, and again while doing some home PT (“standing hip twists”). I took the next day off from my home PT program, and iced all day. On Day 10, the pain came back when riding the bike and doing PT again. I thought maybe this was something “normal,” so I pushed through. Today I woke up and my quad was very sore, achy, and spasming off and on. I stupidly did my PT again and my hip is now burning and pain just like pre-op on a bad day :(
Does it sound like I could have torn the sutures? Done something worse? :(
I would lay off the exercises and talk to the doc about it. I would guess that you just inflamed everything a bit, but talk to the doc to be safe.
I’m a track athlete and I had impingement and labral repair surgery in October. Ive been doing rehab for months without pain. And now all of a sudden I have had some pain similar to the pain I had before surgery. Is this normal?
I would give it a few more months, and back off the exercises for a week or so in order to let the inflammation calm down. I tell most patients that you need to give it a good six months for adequate healing to occur along with strengthenging.
I was just looking for guidance but I had my arthoscopic labrum repair in 2013 and they cut the iliestomy (idk if I got that right but the band so it no longer pops loving around) then I had the ganz where they cut and rotated my pelvic bone. So I’m good but anytime I try and give running a go I get so much pain moving after the run that I don’t consistently keep running. Hence why I can’t keep up training often. Is this normal or a sign I need to strengthen the hip flexor?
I am not 100% sure what you mean by that Sam, but it certainly does sound like there was a significant amount of work done. Whenever something is cut or adjusted like you spoke of, there is an appreciable change in the mechanics of the joints involved. Running requires absorption of a comparatively huge amount of force. If you are off, even a little bit, your body will let you know. My advice to you is to put the running on the back burner. There is plenty else that you can do to get a good workout. It probably would also be a good idea to get a fresh pair of eyes on the problem. Find an experienced, reputable PT to do an assessment.
I had my FAI and labural repair surgery on November 1, 2016. My recovery was going exceptionally well. Was doing physio twice a week and was doing daily physio exercises. I was off work for 9 weeks. I returned to work after the new year and also started to do some light training being causcious not to activate the hip area too much. I’m also hyper flexible which doesn’t seem to help me. After a month back, my hip is in more pain than after the surgery. I can’t sit in a chair normally at work so i sit on the ground in a butterfly position (inner hip rotation is more confirtable), i can’t stand for a long period of time as it “charges” the hip. Last week the hip joint moved during a pivot and my muscles around the area went into overdrive. Have been doing Active Release Therapy as well as a lot of rolling on foam rollers and balls to get those muscles to quiet down. My question is about my groin, it’s painful. Feel as if there an elastic that popped right in that area, is that normal? Any advice on getting back on a positive recovery. I know I’m only 3 months in, but everything was going so well until the last two weeks. Just want to return to sports and training again. I stopped seeing my PT but was seeing an athletic therapist for ART…. maybe the therapy is too agressive at the moment?
Thank you
I would give the hip a good week or two of not doing anything. It is still a bit early, and I am guessing that you might have pushed it a bit too quickly. Deep groin pain is usually associated with the hip joint. The popping sensation is probably one of your hip flexor tendons snapping over the bone (that happens when there is weakness and lack of muscle control in the hip). Let it rest. I would also follow up with the doc and let him know what is going on.
I am going on 10 weeks post-op. I had a big tear, four anchors were placed with the labral repair.p, a CAM lesion and microfracture. I felt like my recovery was going very well for the first 7 weeks or so, but I am still walking with a significant limp. I have heard that if you are limping at all you should go back to crutches. I am able to spin for an hour, but can’t walk without pain and a limp. I’m beyond frustrated and am unsure how much I should be w/o my crutch.
Spinning for an hour is probably too much at this point. I would back that down and allow for some time to rest. I don’t agree with returning to the crutches as long as there is not pain. You might be better slowing down your walking and trying to do it as correctly as possible. I would definitely run all of this by your PT.
I am 4 weeks post op, FAI, Cam labral tear, and have just graduated to walking without crutches. I’m in regular PT and have been doing great. I slipped going down the steps yesterday and came down on my surgical leg (rht). I woke up this morning with more stiffness in my quad and gluteal muscles. Well I did it again today and came down very hard on that leg. The joint itself and mobility are fine but it seems the muscles in the quad, IT area and gluteus are on fire now with no relief from my home exercises. Do you think I’ve re damaged myself? I’m not typically one to fall but I guess I was feeling so good I forgot myself going down the steps. Thanks in advance
I would see the doc Arlene. If the pain is more muscular in nature, you probably are fine but two falls necessitates at least talking to the doc about it.
Hello, I had hip surgery 2/2. Labrum repair shaved bone to relieve impingement and was told to use crutches for 2-3 weeks bearing weight as tolerated, my question to you is that it has been almost a week and I have yet to use crutches. I seem to be getting around just fine without them.
Is there harm to not using crutches? I am mindful of flexion past 90* as well as pivoting motion that may rotate the hip. I can not for the life of me use them, I have minimal pain. I’m scared I could do damage but not sure. Thanks
It is possible to do some damage full weight bearing, especially during the first few weeks. I would stick to the docs orders. If you are walking more than across the room, I would use a “step through” pattern with the crutches (look it up on Youtube). At the very least you should have some sort of transition to full weight bearing with longer distances.
Hi Dan,
My son has a slight tear in his hip Lebral, due to football, the dr. is recommending surgery, I suggested PT first since it’s a slight tear, and he is not in constant pain only if he sprints does he feel the groin pain, he still runs, and plays basketball and feels fine. He will be going into his freshman year of college football this year. I hope that I’m making the right decision as a parent to try PT first before doing any surgical procedures for the tear and impingement. I just want surgery to be a last resort and not a first recommendation. In your professional opinion has PT helped in these cases where it’s a slight/minor tear? Thank you, Tammy
If it is only a slight tear, he very well may be able to conservatively manage it. I think that your reasoning is sound.
Tammy,
I’m not expert so take this with a grain of salt but I had a partially torn left and fully torn right. Was recommended I do PT on left first to strengthen before surgery on right. PT helped a ton and minimal pain since! Especially going into freshman year of college, it’s going to be a lot on him to go through surgery. I’m fully confident PT is well worth a shot. Don’t mean to intrude on the question to the Doc but thought it was worth sharing!
Hello Dan-
I suppose I feel much like other individuals that have had a labral repair and FAI. I am just shy of 12wks out and continue to have persistent pain/discomfort in not only my groin region but also a hip flexor and outer hip pain as well. I understand that patience is key. My strength is my surgery leg is back on par with my non surgery leg, which is good. And I have noticed incremental improvements in discomfort levels. Neither my doc nor PT seem overly concerned about my discomfort yet at the very beginning both stressed that I would likely be pain free after 8wks. Oddly enough, the discomfort Im getting around the bony outer hip is what concerns me most. This was just as uncomfortable pre op/post op but neither my doc nor PT seem to give me much credit that this is and has always felt like it was no less than half of my hip problem. Any suggestions there? I have pondered Sciatica or Piriformis syndromes? I am a frequent stretcher, stationary bikers and foam roller. I am really open for suggestions. Thank you.
Sciatica and / or piriformis syndrome will typically shoot pain down the posterior aspect of the leg. If the pain is up in the hip area or the groin, I would guess that this is more associated with the hip joint, or perhaps involving pelvic alignment. I would have the PT check your leg lengths and overall pelvic alignment. I am also of the opinion that stretching in these cases is a bit over-rated. Ease off the stretching a bit.
You still have a ways to go with this. I disagree with the “pain-free in 8 weeks”. With many people it is six months.
Wonder if you have any advice for me. Sac spider bit in my right buttock 3 surgeries. Large amount of tissue removed. Healed after 4 months. 1 year later minmus tendon repair. Chronic back and sacro iliac pain same side. Responds well to dry needling. Just got TENS machine responding fairly well. Complication myasthenia gravis on prednisone so exercise a problem. Trying not to take pain meds any other suggestions.
Ugh, that does not sound like fun. I would recommend that you try to get some table or bed exercises going with this to lightly strengthen the gluteal muscles, as standing exercises sound like they might be a problem for you. If you did one session of PT you should walk away from that with a short list of exercises that would likely benefit you. If you want, take a look at the table exercises on our website, (password to get in to the exercises is “patient”). I am thinking that maybe clamshells and gluteus maximus contractions might be a good place to start. They are under the “hip” heading. As always, see the doc and the PT to get cleared for this exercise.
I am 5 months out from hip arthroscopy to fix a large labral tear and resurface bones on both sides of the joint. I was doing very well and progressing through PT until about 3 weeks ago. I am experiencing similar pain to my pre-surgery condition. I also now have intermittent groin pain on the other side, which makes me fear that I tore the labrum on that side too. I think I may have done one exercise recklessly – side steps with a resistance band. On the last day I did them, I think I got overzealous and stepped out farther than necessary for 3 sets of 10. Could hyperabduction (if that’s what I was doing) reinjure the hip joint/cause the labrum to retear and/or cause a tear on the other side?
Hmmm. It would have to be quite a bit of hyper abduction, more along the line of a half-split to really jar the soft tissue. The more plausible explanation is that you pinched the femur slightly on the rim of the acetabulum. It will probably be sore for a while.
Thank you for your reply. My condition has been gradually worsening. I’m having much of the same pre-surgery pain, mostly in my glutes and some in the hip flexors as well. That pain had mostly subsided by January (4 months out from surgery), which led me to believe that I was out of the woods. Before my surgery, I’d get intense pain in the left glute area, pain in the left groin, and less intense compensation pain in the right glute area. Now I’m having pretty similar pain on both sides, plus the new pain in the right groin. Is it possible that this is due to a new tear on the right side caused by FAI, and that the pain on the left side is compensation pain that is amplified due to that side being more sensitive post-surgery? I’m certainly catastrophizing, but my fear is that I will need the same surgery on the right side, and that something may have also gone awry on the left, which would make it difficult to recover on that leg.
I would have it imaged, that is the only way to be sure what is going on.
I had surgery 9/30/2016. Tear could not be repaired, so I had labral debridement, partial synovectomy, and debridement around a partially torn iliopsoas in my right hip. All was done arthroscopically. Since surgery, I have had worsening groin pain spreading across the front of the hip and painful catching/clicking in the hip joint. Things are more painful now then prior to surgery. I’ve had a steroid injection and been and compliant with PT. With tings worsening instead of getting better, could this be a sign of lingering labral issues?
Probably yes, and I am guessing that the hip is weak from the surgery. It is probably going to take a few more months to get that strength in order. I would back off the exercises and stretches for a week or so to see if things calm down at all.
First off I just want to thank the responding pt for spending time answering questions of people dealing with these problems. I hope you can share some insight with me as well. I suffered a pretty serious injury as an ice hockey goalie. 3 months later (now) it has been confirmed I have fai, a labral tear, and also a sports hernia. Oh also a quite worn out knee with damage to the meniscus and cartilage. I guess the good news is I have tremendous flexibility in spite of all this. I’m 33. Does the list of other related injuries create a significantly different plan moving forward? Or a significantly different recovery window? Thanks.
Your list of problems does make treatment more tricky. Sports hernias are a major pain to deal with because the effected muscles are small and sensitive to loading. Hernias like that can take many months to improve, and in general they respond negatively to too much exercise. I would find a good massage therapist to work on the hip and groin muscles during this process (preferably someone who has experience dealing with sports hernias).
It is entirely possible that you can rehab all of this and not require surgery, but my guess is that it will take a minimum of six months to do so. You will also have to consider long-term activity modification. Doing split-type motions as a hockey goalie simply is no longer a good idea for you.
I am an elementary teacher. I just had a right hip Labral tear repair and osteoplasty. How long should I expect to be off work!
I would guess a month? Ask the doc because the osteoplasty might add some time.
I am a 59 year old woman. Ortho Dr. diagnosed a possible labral tear in my left hip. I had the cortisone injection 9 days ago and I am scheduled for an MRI in 4 days. Within 2 hours of the injection I was in excruciating pain, so much so it was difficult to walk. After about 8 hours, the pain subsided and I actually felt some relief from the pain i had prior to the injection . It only lasted a few days and the pain in my hip and groin area is back. Is this normal?
Also, at my age, approximately how long do you think recovery will take if I have to have a labral repair?
Any advice ice or suggestions you have would be appreciated.
Cortisone shots are highly variable in terms of effectiveness. If you do have the surgery, my guess is that you be recovering for a while. Most people will not feel the maximal benefit for at least six months post-surgery. I would certainly have a go at a structured rehab program first to see how much relief you can get. I would give it at least eight (8) weeks to see what kind of results you get from PT.
Thank you for your reply.
I am a 38yrs old female diagnosis with right hip Labral tear . I had 2month of physical therapy before I had the arthroscopy & femoplasty surgery in nov 2016 after that I was on crutches for 2 weeks . The third week I started Pt again! However, I was doing good for 90days no pain and then all of sudden it’s feel worse now before I had the surgery . I will admit I stop excercis for 3weeka after I stop PT . I went back to doctor and inform him of pain and barel able walk . He put me on steroids for week it’s gave me a little relieve. Do you think me going back to work too soon after 3months doing security walking , stand & sitting?
I would have a new PT look at the hip to see what is going on. My bet is that you still have some functional weakness that needs to be addressed.
Hi iam a 48 year old male, i had labral surgery on my right hip at everett bone and joint, after doing pt for awhile had relapse and now am being told i need another more deeper and agresive hip surgery. Whent to have a second opp….. DR. stonesypher, result after two specialist, i have been told that i will need a hip replacement in the near future. But on the same hasnd being told i need another labral repair……..PLEASE HELP
Ugh that is a tough one to respond to. 48 is awfully young to have a hip replacement as the replacements tend to last about 20 years. I would go for an opinion at a large medical center from someone who specializes only in hips. It is possible that you may only need a boney osteotomy rather than a hip replacement, but it all depends on what is going on with the shape of the femur. Sometimes the femur can have what is called a CAM lesion that needs to be shaved down.
I had surgery on may 8 2017 for laberal tear and 10 rehab sessions not feeling g much the groin pain is still there just as intense as before the surgery. I’m also 59
I had laposcopic labral repair and femoroplasty 6 weeks ago. I was able to go off my crutches after 3 weeks for 1 day. I then cleaned my bathroom and have been back on both crutches for 3 weeks with a deep pain. I am taking anti-inflammatories. The surgeon thinks it is just inflamed but hasn’t seen me yet. I am worried since I am in much more pain than prior to my surgery and it’s not getting better despite using ice and laying on my stomach and rocking on a stationary bike. He wants to give it another week before he’ll do any imaging. Do you see patients who experienced anything similar or have to be on crutches so long?
I have seen some hip patients that have inflammation for a long time after an involved hip surgery, particularly if they did some forms of exercise too soon. I would minimize the activity until you see him.
How are you feeling now, I am now 6 weeks out today, just came of one crutch 3 days ago and any weight bearing is almost unbearable. I’ve been to spin classes and I’m ok, but even before I went off the crutches last Friday, Ive been having an increase in pain to the point its waking me up again and its radiating down to my knee again. It is more pain that before surgery and I did not need to take any narcotics after surgery at all, all I took was the Naprosyn to prevent extra bone growth. Now I have had to start high dose ibuprofen.
Is arthroscopic labral labrum repair/surgery quicker recovery period then regular labral surgery & will i need to stay at a rehab treatment center if I’m older or live alone
Arthroscopic surgeries in general are less invasive, so the recovery should be a bit better. You may be in a wheelchair for a bit of time because of the post-surgical precautions, so this might be an issue at home if you live alone. I would at least have a home-health aide to help out, or perhaps the rehab hospital would be a good idea. Someone from the hospital or doctor’s office should be able to coordinate this with you.
I am 12 weeks out from, labral repair and sports hernia surgery. I both cam and pincer impingement. I have been doing Pt and I do think it has improved just alittle . Mostly pain in groin area and adductors. Is this normal at this stage?. Seems to worse when sitting. I’m 58yrs old and had 5 anchors palced at the same time I had a pelvic floor repair. This recovery is really tricky. You think you might be improving but the next day sucks!
This is a fairly involved surgery, particularly with the pelvic floor work. The is going to take many more months for you to see the optimal results. The graph to recovery is rarely linear. Hang in there, and don’t overdo.
thank you for your website.It helps to have someone else to vent.
Thank you for this forum, it is very helpful.
I am 6 weeks post a laberal tear surgery, being anchored via arthroscopy on my left hip. My question is whether it is normal to feel soreness/pain in groin area. I did try walking after 5 weeks without a crutch but have since gone back. It is my believe I.didnnot do a gradual increase and therefore think it’s normal soreness. But what causes the soreness/pain.
Thank you, I do appreciate it’s hard for you to give an accurate response having not seen me, I hope my.information is enoigh for you to form an opinion. I guess I am soo scared the anchors have come losse.
Thank you, David
It is very typical for post-ops to feel that type of pain, especially when one is transitioning to weight bearing. Make it gradual.
My friend had labral repair surgery on both hips about a year ago and he says his pain is worse then ever. The hip pain radiates to his groin area. He is nervous and doesn’t want to have to have surgery again. Is groin pain common? At first it was only the right side but now the left side of his hip is hurting too. He is only 38 but feels like this pain will never go away…he hasn’t been able to lead a normal life and fears he will lose his job if the pain continues. He says the pain in his groin area is excruciating. What can we do?
I would get a second opinion from a hip orthopedist. Groin pain is a sign of labral pathology, so that is a possibility.
I had 2nd hip arthroscopy and debridement on my right hip in 10/16. I am still in pain in inner groin region ,
I have had PT for last 2 month without success. I getting very worried now as I cannot stretch my leg or walk with my groin pain and gets worse when I get out my chair . When I am sleep it feels like a dead leg, also the clicking has started again and feels like the symptoms before the op.
It is common for people to not feel improvement for many months, so I think that you most likely will be feeling better in a month or two than you are now. I would maybe lay off the PT exercises for a week or tow to let things calm down. I do think that the PT after this surgery in general needs to be very gentle. I would also schedule a follow up with the MD to let him or her know what is going on.
Thank you for the quick reply.
My only concern is that my hip and groin are getting worse each day especially my groin , I am constantly walk with lip and when I get out my chair the clicking and the pain intensifies 50 x!!
Would I need a 3rd op worse case scenario ?
I can’t say for sure, but the next step in regards to that would be to get the hip imaged to see exactly what is going on.
I have seen the surgeon again he is sending me for a ultrasound and 3d scan on my right hip as I am still in 6 months on , What will this show rather the MRI scan ?
I have had a second hip arthroscopic right hip surgery within 7 months. The first was for a torn labrum and shaving of the hip bone. Not spurs but something I was born with. They did both and I seemed to to be coming along fine when 2 months into PT I tripped over two dogs I didn’t see and my natural coarse was to use my dominant right leg which gave out, tried to get up again, it gave out before so I just laid on the concrete. I told the MD an PT and all said to keep up with the course and so I did. After my PT was done and nothing was better another MRI was called upon and showed I not only re tore the labrum worse but the dang bone grew back!? I did find out that the scar tissue has grown into the groin part of the Labrum so that every time I walked those clicks I heard were the bone grabbing the scar tissue and re tearing the labrum. I do have to say it was great doing the 5 weeks of PT for nothing along with the price but I am on my 3rd week of the second surgery on the right side where I demanded X-rays every month for the bone growth issue and I’m doing the PT again as I know I should. There was an article I read that taking enteric Aleve that would help impede bone growth so since I’m off the coated aspirin I am trying this to help because it couldn’t hurt. I use 2 websites that show interactions and both say I’m fine for that except I must use enteric coated Aleve because I take 40mg of Prilosec and the lower it goes into the GI tract the better the use. I use 2 crutches and was told when around a lot of people or in bad weather that I may use my brace, also. Basically my three options given to me now are 1) do the PT and hope is works 2) if the scar tissue does the same thing to the labrum it’s going to be a total hip replacement 3) if the bone grows back see #2. I’m 47 and I don’t yet know how long a replacement lasts but my options seem bleak!
I’ve been having pt for possible labral tear. I was making tremendous progress them last week a tech told me to lift my leg while lying on my back. I had pain right away. She asked me to keep trying though I was experiencing pain. Turns out I wasn’t supposed to be elevating from hip but rather lifting from the knee. I am back to being very uncomfortable when weight bearing, especially on stairs or when I’m carrying something heavy. Any idea what may have happened or what to do to recover more quickly?
I would back off the exercise for the week to let things calm down. A straight leg raise is a long lever arm, you probably strained your hip flexors a bit. If it is just a muscle strain it should lessen in a week or so provided you don’t challenge it much.
I had a hip labral repair with two anchors, cam and pincer resection, capsular plication and synovectomy 3 weeks ago. I was initially told I could be done with crutches in 2 weeks and I tried but the pain is too much. I had to have an injection on the outside of my hip today and now I am back on crutches. Is this common?
Given the extent of what was done to you, I would say that having the type of pain with weight bearing is to be expected. I would do a very gradual transition from crutches to weight bearing. I would perhaps try a “step through” pattern to start (check out Youtube, I am sure there are videos). Also make sure the doc knows what you are doing.
Hi I have a couple questions with regard to your article and my specific situation.
I was diagnosed with a left hip labral tear in January via a MRI hip arthogram.
I have been non-weight bearing for approximately 1 month. 1st week on bed rest only then 3 weeks on crutches. Now I am instructed to walk on it and start PT. (No specific program was put together, just a script to go to any PT and have them figure it out.)
“Initial post-surgical weight bearing precautions are a necessary evil”
What specifically are the precautions to take? I was not given much of any direction by the doctor from the start other that mentioned above.
“The important thing to remember is that if you notice positive differences from week to week (or month to month), you are going in the right direction!”
My three primary areas of pain which brought me into the doctor in the first place are the same and often worse than pre-surgery which was roughly a month ago.
These areas are:
1) a radiating pain high in my left groin that will radiate to my lower groin\testicular area and front leg and abdomen.
This is the worst pain by far as it presents much stronger when in a seated position like at the office or in a car to the point that at times it is hardly bearable.
2)A deep burning pain on the side of my left hip.
3)Lower left hip and back pain. They seem to tie together as one gets worse, so do thee others.
I also now have a new and painful click\pop occasionally deep in my left hip\back somewhere which I did not have before?!
Ironically I have read this type of click or catching is another sign of the need for a labral repair, yet mine began AFTER my surgery.
My doctor keeps saying this is all normal and to expect pain or clicking for several more months and that it is just scar tissue and the body healing.
I am not an expert but I did not expect to have the same pains or worse a month after surgery.
The whole point of surgery was to correct the particular pain issues I have which were symptomatic of a labral tear.
The doctor has me on Percoset ( oxycodone) and now Celebrex. They do not relieve the pain but dull it down as needed but I prefer not to take medications such as these if I can avoid it.
Does this sound right or “normal” to you?
Thanks,
Nick B.
The weakness that results from having surgery will very often feed in to the types of pain and clicking noises that you describe. I would expect this to slowly abate over the next few months. Although what you describe is not necessarily “normal”, it is certainly common and it does not reflect a re-tear or a secondary tear.
I also think that the sitting position places the hip in a bit of a closed position, which can make things quite painful. Standing in a quiet position is a good way to alleviate this, and it is also a good way to transition into walking. You should ask your PT to show you how to wean of the crutches with a “step through” walking pattern. I think that it is a bit ridiculous to expect people to go off crutches “cold turkey” after a labral repair.
I will be having arthroscopic to repair torn labrum (anterior and superior) on left hip next month and am VERY scared. I have scoliosis, left hip is higher than the right and leg length discrepancy (right left is 1/2 inch shorter). I am worried that these issues are going to impede my recovery. I do wear a shoe heel lift in my running shoes, but not all the time. I have a tendency to put my weight on the shorter leg and throw the left out. Plus, I have rheumatoid arthritis…Yeah. I inherited all the good stuff! What are your thought?
I do think that the recovery will likely take longer in your case. Your body has probably accommodated to your level of leg length discrepancy and scoliosis, so I would not attempt to make any drastic changes to your alignment during this process. Make sure that the PT knows all of this from the start.
I have both hips with torn labrums and I am intense pain. I am considering surgery . I have trained and run my whole life. Is it possible not to have surgery and get better or is it a foregone conclusion that surgery is needed. All I have read here is nothing but pain and suffering. Is this what to expect after surgery to come out worse than before surgery? Doesn’t make sense then?
People will generally have good results from this surgery, but it does take many months to get there. The main reason people have the surgery is pain. If you are in constant pain that has not changed with conservative management then the surgery may be a good idea. You will have to be very patient about the whole process, and I would give serious consideration to finding forms of exercise other than running after the recovery.
Hi I got my hip bone shaved and my labral tear stitched (3 stitches). On the same day of the surgery, when I got home, there were steps without a railing I had to go up in order to get to my front door. On the first step, instead of pushing off my crutches with my hands in order to get to the next step (which is how I was supposed to do it), I put both of my crutches on the next step and jumped with my right leg (my good leg) to the next step. Even though I jumped with my good leg and stayed off my bad leg, the motion on the way to the next step inevitably stressed and caused a lot of pain in my left hip throughout the follow-through.
My surgery was almost 3 weeks ago. When I saw my doctor a week after the surgery, I told him I’ve had every single type of pain I’ve had before the surgery at least once since getting the surgery. He told me that that is not typical and what he likes to hear and mostly does hear the first post op visit is a patient saying they are feeling pain in the same area, but not the exact same pain. He did assure me though that just because I feel the same types of pains, doesn’t rule out that I can make the desireable recovery. Also, I’ve had this issue for 1 year and 11 months, and my PT said that when this injury becomes chronic before getting the surgery, it is normal to feel aggravated a lot in that same area after surgery.
But since my situation is aytipical according to my doctor, I’m worried that that incident with the steps may have caused my labrum to retear. My doctor says it takes about 3 months for the labrum to heal after this surgery, so the fact that I hurt it on the same day of surgery and my labrum was still in such a fragile state (not even close to fully healed), makes me fear that I retore it.
So I have 2 questions.
1. Do you know if that painful movement I described, in that incident with the steps, is a movement that could possibly cause my labrum to retear, especially since that happened in only day 1 of the expected 3 month recovery period?
2. Say I get another MRI arthrogram in 6 months or so that shows I indeed did retear my labrum. Will my surgeon be able to go back in and stitch it up again? Have you heard of any cases like that?
I don’t think that what you described would dislodge anchors, but it certainly could inflame the joint a bit. I hear these types of scenarios all of the time, and it does seem that many people feel the exact same pain post-op and pre-op. This is not an indication that the surgery didn’t work, it is usually more of an indication that all of the muscles around your hip are extremely weak from the procedure and the head of the femur gets knocked around a bit with movements.
If you did re-tear the labrum, it could be re-done. I don’t think that you need to worry about that. It may take up to six months for you to get the full benefit from this, you are going to need to be super patient in the mean time and stick to the rehab protocols.
I had labream tear repair surgery 2 weeks ago. I was told to wean off the cruches by 2nd week. I have been trying for two days to walk with out cruches. I keep getting shooting pain in my inner leg along with shooting pain in my glute area. Is this normal? Also have not taken any medication for 2 days. Should I get back on meds?
I am not qualified to give you pharmaceutical advice. I would however still use the crutches and use the “step to” or “step through” pattern to keep the weight bearing manageable. You are in the early stages, so this type of pain is typical. Slow transition. Keep the doc in the loop.
I am 3.5 weeks post hip labrum repair and doing as well as can be expected. I had and still have soreness around my tailbone as well as all the classic symptoms.
I was wondering how common tailbone area pain was as referred pain. I am hoping it summers down as the weeks and months pass and as I stick to the PT and surgeon recommended plan. Trust me I am sticking to it like glue but still behind the mark with a lot of inflammation still.
Interestingly I didn’t initially have groin pain until the dye injection for the MRI contrast. The groin pain started up immediately, almost like it opened up another avenue for the inflammation to flow into.
Thanks!
The tailbone pain is not nearly as common as groin or gluteal pain, but I have heard of it. Hang in there Becki, it is going to take a while.
Do you feel better now? Glad you got the surgery? I am weighing my options. I am scared to get surgery.
I’m 1.5 years post surgery and tore my hamstring on opposite leg. Since the tear, I’ve been experiencing more pain on the labral tear side. With the pain I noticed obvious swelling on surgery side. Is that just scared tissue or something to be concerned about.
You are likely bearing a lot of weight on the labral side because of the hamstrings tear. If it persists I would have the doc look at it, but you are probably just strained.
Hi I am 2 weeks post op today from a Right hip arthroscopic and debridement. I have been dealing with groin, hip, Si, tailbone and lower back pain for 2 yrs with multiple misdiagnosis before hey found out what was wrong and I had surgery. After surgery, u am dealing with bad swelling from mid back down to my toes on both sides along with consultation problems. My muscles in my leg on op side have started to stick in place from having to elevate because of swelling and circulation problems. Even went to er afyer surgery because of a blood clots scare. When I put my leg down and use wheelchair or walker, my foot and leg swells up and turndown purple. Docs and pt says all Normal but it is causing me significant amount of more pain. I’m hurting bad all the time and exhausted to the point where it hurts even to use walker, so mostly in wheelchair. I’m having nerve and numbing feelings still in op leg and I just feel I’m not progressing at all. I’m at a loss because I’m worse then before surgery. I know it’s still early but the way it is now makes it hard to look positively. I pretty much just lay on couch icing and elevated. Just started my pt and that just makes it worse. When does it start getting better with the pain? Especially in my back. I have a very labor intensive job and I’m not sure I’ll even be able to get back to work at this pace. I’m off work so far for 3 months. Im also habing bad constipation and urinary problems. Any suggestions or ideas about my pain and swelling/circualtion issues or when I’ll start seeing a difference? I’m struggling and would like to just get back to normal and have a life again that doesn’t revolve around my pain anymore. Thanks
This is definitely going to take a while. I would get a good list of exercises that you can do in bed and do those every day. I would also perform a lower back exercise or two. (The pelvic clock exercise comes to mind, but clear it with your PT.) Constipation can be a side effect of not moving around, so if you are cleared to move around, I recommend it.
This should slowly get better from week to week, hang in there and try to be as compliant with the routine as possible.
Hi Dan,
I am a little over 4 months post op. The Doctor repaired my FAI by shaving my bone down, he put 4 posts in to repair the cartilage, and heated the articular cartilage in hopes to get it to stick back down. (I am a 29 year old female who was active before surgery).
After surgery, I immediately began riding a stationary bike and began pool PT. Since then, I have progressed to PT on land and have been working on strengthening my glutes and core (especially, since all of those muscles shut down after surgery). Since surgery, I have followed the doctor’s and physical therapist’s orders with regards to exercises and strengthening.
After 3 months of post op, I was still in a lot of pain (had a hobble when I walked) and had limited movement when moving my knee towards my chest. The doctor gave me a shot of cortisone which has helped significantly. However, in the last month to month and half, my hip has been clicking/popping almost every time I sit down. In addition, I have been getting a deep pain in my groin. I saw the doctor last Friday and he suspects it is the articular (hard) cartilage that has not settled down and to not overload the hip while doing exercises (I began leg pressing just the sled). He also mentioned trying a platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment to promote the healing.
I saw my physical therapist yesterday and she seemed to be more concerned than the doctor – the popping/clicking should have resided by now and typically this means that there is instability in my hip.
So, do you have the same concerns as my physical therapists? Is the popping/clicking something that can be caused by an insufficient repair? Also, do you have any knowledge or advice on PRP?
Thank you so much for your help!
This can take six months or more to see solid improvement. Clicking and popping is rather common, I wouldn’t be freaked out by that at this stage. I would avoid doing the knee-to-chest thing. You might be irritating the cartilage with that type of stretch. The leg sled pressing should not put your hips in too much flexion either, it should feel comfortable at the start position.
The PRP thing is hit-or-miss. Some people get good results from it, but I do not know what type of outcome data there is out there that strongly supports it.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the quick reply.
Does the clicking/popping resolve over time?
Thanks for your input about PRP.
Usually it does.
Hello,
I had labral repair surgery on my left hip in November. I have been going to PT on a weekly basis. I do have a concern. I was released by my doctor in March to resume with some of my activities, including yoga. I started back to yoga in March and informed the instructor of my surgery. I have also been doing my PT exercises regularly. The past couple of weeks, after doing lateral moves, ie: sitting meditation style, which did give me discomfort, which I modified, my left groin is sore again. When I saw my PT yesterday, I told him about my discomfort. He had me walk, which I felt no pain. However, when I am sitting or if move my legs apart, I feel it. I don’t feel any pinching or poking, as I did prior to surgery, but I feel a dull pain and mindful its there. My PT does not think I tore my labrum, but he thinks it could be tendinitis. We decided to scale back my exercise program to see if it improves. No more lateral moves. Can still go walking and ride a bike. I just hope I don’t need to get surgery on this again. Any ideas? How long should I wait before deciding to schedule another doctor appointment?
I don’t think that you are going to need surgery again. I do however think that you should give serious consideration to ditching yoga, or at least modifying it permanently. I am not a fan of end range stretch positions for the hip, especially if you had a labrum repair.
I bet if you discontinue yoga for a month, the pain will go away. I would gather that pilates should be more up your alley. Ask your PT about that.
Hi Dan,
I am nearly 5 months post op from FAI and Torn Labral surgery. After nearly 2.5 months of PT and significant strength building exercises, I still have a good amount of pain when full weight baring specifically when the foot is externally rotated (it lessens if I were to walk pigeon toed). It is especially strong when I take long strides and the weight transfers to the ball of my foot. I can feel the pain through the hip and even all the way down to the knee.
I can cut and sprint at full speed pain free but it is the simplest task of walking that gives me the most pain. In fact the pain is worse than when I had the surgery back in November. Is this normal at this stage of the recovery process or should I be concerned?
Thanks!
Hmm that is a tough one to answer. It would probably be a good idea to get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. I would find a seasoned PT and have the strengths and lengths of all associated muscles around the hip assessed. Gait analysis would also be a good idea.
Thanks for the quick response
Is it possible the labral re-tore or is more of a mechanical issue?
ugh I kinda think this surgery is a farce. Many people have a labral tear, i did with groin pain, but I had the surgery 4 years ago and not only did it do nothi g for the groin pain, now I have actual hip pain. I also had one of the best surgeons, I would tell anyone considering this surgery to be very cautious, its done nothing but cause new pain and daily misery to me.
Hey, I am a 25 year old male who has low bodyfat and good muscle tone, generally good physical genetics (aside from the FAI and resulting labral tear), is 5’6, and weighs 135 lbs.
I had hip surgery on March 28 (20 days ago). I feel like I can already walk on my hip pretty well without crutches, and I actually was able to jog up stairs just fine today. It still feels a little sore at times, but I can tell it is getting stronger.
Is this normal?
Is this healthy?
is there a risk of my labral tear “coming undone”, or “ripping” or “popping” if I do too much too early? What are your suggestions?
If it feels slightly sore after working, (I own a business and just have to walk for sales appointments, nothing labor intensive)- is this too much? And should I use an ice pack on it afterwards? If so, how long?
It is not a great idea to be jogging up the stairs at this point, even if it feels okay. You need to give the anchors a good six weeks to heal into place, pushing too hard does put the surgery at risk. Standing and walking is much less in terms of joint reaction force, I would stick to that. I would also stick to the doc’s post operative protocols in terms of what exercises to do and when to do them. IF you don’t have one, ask for one.
Icing after work should be fine, maybe 10-20 minutes or so.
I was diagnosed with a labral tear today (MRI last week), after thinking it was bursitis for the past 23 months. Ortho wants to do surgery next Friday, but I have an overseas cruise just 4 weeks, 5 days post surgery. Will this be pushing it? Doc seemed fine with it, but I don’t want to be in misery and hobbling around for a week in Europe! We don’t plan on doing a ton of walking, but definitely a mile or two each day. I am a runner, in good physical condition, but I know that doesn’t always mean quicker healing time… I need to let them know ASAP if I want the surgery slot for next week. If I don’t do it now, I’ll have to wait until late August before my schedule clears up again. I just really wonder if I can be moving about comfortably at 4-5 weeks????
If it were me, I would wait until after the cruise to have the surgery. You are cutting it too close in terms of time. It is possible that you will have minimal pain, but there are no guarantees. I would maybe have the doc do a cortisone injection if you are in considerable pain now.
I had torn labral surgery repair December 7th and currently a litttle over 4 months out. At first I was making great strides and was in therapy. I started getting groin pain and pain in the adductor region. I stopped therapy to heal any inflammation and the doctor who performed the surgery says it may be tendonitis and some arthritis but isn’t 100% sure. I laid off every exercise for one month and came back to the same pain. I limp still with pain but the pain seems to go away after I walk for a longer periods. It’s been a daily struggle and hurts to walk up the stairs. Any ideas what is causing this pain? It’s not constant but affects the majority of my day when walking. It doesn’t hurt to squat or do any lifting. Just hurts walking or going up a flight of stairs. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
That might be adductor tendonitis, and it can be quite nagging. I would keep the walking to a minimum and have a PT take a look at the strength of everything around the hip joint. I have found that having massage work done to the adductors and hamstrings tends to be very helpful as well.
I was diagnosed with a labral tear in my right hip 2 months ago, have been doing pt for about 2 months since, the pain goes away during pt but comes back after working all day. I am 6’3 240 and do a lot of powerlifting, I’ve been taking it easy on the legs due to the tear, surgery seems to be inevitable,and will be scheduled soon, obviously I won’t be able to do any lifting with my legs post surgery for a while, but can I or should I still do upper body lifts while recovering?
I am a little over 5 months out of surgery and when I go to do a spiderman stretch (the one where you bring your foot up to your hand and lift the back leg off the ground), the hip with the labral tear is in extreme pain when it is the leg that is back in the stretch.
Also, I have significant discomfort in the buttocks following any sort of run (1 – 1.5 miles)
Should I be worried? I dont think I retore the labral, but could it be hip flexor tendinitis? Should I stop doing any physical exercise?
I would steer away from the end-range stretches for a week or two. The running thing should gradually improve, but that will likely take many more months as the ground reaction force is comparatively huge to other things that you are doing.
First of all, thank you so much for his forum. Before and after my surgery, this has been a great resource!
4 days ago I had a labral tear repair surgery, sutures, debridement, and both cam and pincer impingement fix. Things have been great! My surgeon told me to stay on crutches for 3 weeks, but I honestly felt like I could get off crutches the morning after surgery. I’ve tried to be good and listen to the doctors instructions, so I am still using the crutches, but here and there I’ve tested the leg a little with mild toe-touching and partial weight bearing steps, all with positive results. I haven’t done anything too crazy, and I haven’t done anything to cause me pain, so I don’t think I’ve done anything I shouldn’t be doing.
This morning, however, while sitting up in bed, I flexed my hip to bring my foot closer in order to put my sock on. During this flexion, I felt a significant pop in my hip. It certainly freaked me out a little. Should I be worried that I damaged something? I hope not, because things were going so well and I was very positive and encouraged with everything. It doesn’t particularly hurt more now after the pop, so that’s good. What do you think? I see my surgeon in about a week, so I’ll discuss it with him then. But in the meantime, any cause for alarm?
Probably nothing. The hip does tend to make some noise after these types of procedures, especially with flexion and rotations.
I have two bad hips and chose to repair the right hip first, as it was the most damaged. I had two labral tears, one which was “repaired” using bone anchors and sutures and the other debrided. My ortho also shaved bone, as I have hip dysplasia and impingement, like others on this thread, complete with clicking, catching, deep internal hup paint which radiates down to my knee and sometimes sacral/coccyx bone pain. I am now 4 weeks post surgery and the pain in the groin – referring to the knee – is worse than it was just a few days poat-surgery. The pain interrupts my sleep and is chronic through the day, as I attempt to get comfortable. I take no pain meds if possible and stopped the anti-inflammatory meds approx 2 weeks post surgery because they gave me GI issues.
I have been instructed to use crutches for six weeks and be non-weight baring and have complied with that. I have also attended PT twice per week poat-surgery, as instructed. I am 44, and need to get back to work. I am fearful that I am not progressing, that the pain will not resolve and that this surgery will not result in improved utility.
To make matters worse, my left hip has the same problem and will eventually need to be addressed. Putting all of my weight on that leg is causing incredible pain (to the point of shaking/fatigue) every day. Can I do anything to help.that one too?
I do think that it is too early to be down on yourself. There is a lot of inflammation from the surgery present. Most people in my experience do not feel the full benefit from the procedure until at least six months post-op. I would talk to the PT and the doc about perhaps using crutches to de-weight your hips a little bit with a “step through” pattern for a week or two as a transition into full weight bearing. It sounds like the left hip needs a rest as well.
I would also do some bed / table exercises for light gluteal strengthening with the guidance of the PT. Nothing too taxing.
I had surgery to fix my torn left labral back in November. I still have pinching in my hip if I were to lay down and bring my knee to chest or rotate it internally. Is that a concern or should it works itself out as I continue to rehab?
The internal rotation and knee to chest positions are probably pushing the head of the femur forward into the front portion of the hip socket. I would avoid doing that for the time being. It should become less annoying as you progress, but my guess is that take a few more months. If you are still doing some PT, I would talk to the therapist about doing some gentle posterior femoral glides. The most simple way to do this is a hands and knees “crawl” position with a gentle sit back of your buttock towards your heels. I would have a PT watch you do it, and it should feel like a gentle stretch only, nothing sharp.
Hi Dan,
I had this surgery 5 1/2 weeks ago. I’m in more pain now than before, especially if I end up on my feet too long.
I was released from crutches at 2 weeks, and released to drive at 4 weeks. At that point, I was also able to get into the pool for easy swimming and exercise.
I see a PT twice weekly, and get conflicting advice and poor instructions for home exercise routine and timing.
Do you have a protocol that I could print out?
Do you recommend anything like deep tissue massage or foam rollers to get the adductor / abductor and IT band loosened up?
What would be causing this extreme tightness? The more I walk or walk in water, the more it hurts.
I’ve been told I am “holding” my hip — what can I do to let go?
Any ideas?
Thanks. Love your site, btw.
Nancy
My guess is that you may have come off the crutches a bit early? If your hip is killing you, you might want to talk with the MD about perhaps de-weighting the hip a bit and use the crutches again for a week or so? (A step-through pattern tends to be a good way to use crutches.) You are going to “hold” your hip if you are in pain. You probably need to get the inflammation down first.
In terms of protocols, your doc should definitely have one for you. It should depend on the procedure and the number of anchors etc.. I just Googled “Hip labral post operative protocol”, and tons of protocols come up.
What are possible symptoms from a failed arthroscopic labral surgery? I feel as if the labral itself was repaired but I have more pain now that wasn’t present before the surgery. Specifically pain that i can feel at the top of my knee and when weight baring?
Thanks
Failed labral surgeries are usually accompanied by severe groin pain and hip pain in general. The only way to be certain is to have diagnostic imaging done. Remember also that in many cases it will take six months or more for the positive effect to take place. If you are early on I would be patient and perhaps de-weight the hip for a week or so with crutches? Get the doc’s permission of course.
I am nearly 6 months post surgery and still have significant pain at the top of the hip when I take a long stride, actually really anytime I am on the ball of my foot. Should I be concerned?
Shorten your stride for the time being, the end range is likely causing the head of the femur to hit the front portion of the hip socket.
You may want to have the hip assessed to see if there is any posterior capsular tightness, that could be contributing to what you are feeling.
My 16 year old daughter is looking at surgery to repair her left hip FAI and Labral tear, this a year and a half after the right side.
She made it through the surgery and PT like a champ, felt better an hour after surgery then she had in two years. Six months out she was allowed to start training to get back on the field. Light training lasted two weeks before bursitis set in. Two weeks out and then she was allowed to start again. What followed was six months of no anything other then PT for chronic tendinitis in the hip flexors. Then back to training and finally back to soccer. Three months in and she isn’t able to walk without pain. Tendinitis back in the right side and suspected labral tear in the left.
She is scheduled for a cortisone shot in the right side to help with the tendinitis, because no new bone growth and the hip looks perfect!
MRI with arthogram on the right in two weeks and we meet to discuss surgery after.
Is there any reason to suspect the same thing is going to happen with the left hip after surgery? She has decided to hang up the cleats, it’s her Sr year and she had already decided saving her hips was more important then playing college ball anyway. But I am concerned about the chronic tendinitis. And is this something that just stopping playing soccer would help anyway. She is a very active (or was before this whole thing started) young women, into adventure and outdoors, I would like her to be able to get back to a normal life at some point.
I do think that if she has stopped playing soccer entirely, the hip tendonitis will eventually go away. I think that she has made the right decision. The surge on the other hip should go much better for the simple reason that she will not have the goal of sprinting and playing ballistic sports.
I am 5 1/2 weeks post surgery for the 2nd time on the same hip (R) and I’m doing everything I can riding the bike to walking because that’s all my doc said I needed to do. But I feel I should of be in PT. I limp bad because of the lower back pain and under my butt stocks the pain goes down to my knees and down to my ankles. I’m released back to work with limited lifting. (nothing over 25lbs that includes pulling or pushing) but I do wear steal toes and stand on concrete. I guess my question is to you would it be safe to start the isometric excercise or should I just keep riding the bike and walking. I really want my life back.
I would normally think that the isometric exercises would come before the bicycle and walking. I am not sure what the doc’s reasoning is here. I would ask him what his rationale is. Having some skilled PT is probably not a bad idea.
I’m not sure either when I questioned it I was told with my surgery which was labrum tear. I have a 31/2 inch cut I know he put two anchors in with sutures and the first surgery didn’t go well he said I mangled my hip after the first surgery. So went back in and right away I could tell the difference I wasn’t in pain after surgery he said he put three anchors in and extra sutures this time. So I started taking my anti inflammatory he gave me after the first surgery and rode the bike for twenty minutes found a couple of videos on the hip and slowly did them and today for some reason I am walking better less pain. Love your website thank you
I had PAO (Periacetabular Osteotomy) as well as a labral tear repair in my left hip in the beginning of March of this year. I am mostly off the crutches, if I know I will be walking around a lot I will use one but I seem to get around the house alright without them at all. I still notice a sharp deep pain in my groin area after surgery. Mostly it is when I pick up my leg or if I am laying in bed and bring my leg towards my chest to a bent knee position. Does this mean the surgery did not work or is it just recovery pain and it should go away when I am completely healed? They told me they rolled the tear back and pinned it and they said they got good margins.
I would think that this is part of the recovery process, it will typically take at least six months to build up strength and get the inflammation down. You are going to have to be super patient about this. Little gains from week to week or month to month.
Hi everyone I had hip arthroscopy and bit of bone shaving on my hip, I am 6 weeks post op all going well strengthening up well I was on the bike doing intervals and heard a pop and hip went loose and my right glute like spawned!? I done its for few days but my hip sometimes aches and my groin and si joint click I beeen back to surgeon but he doesn’t seem fussed but yet I don’t know what it was he seemed could be fatigue!? I haven’t felt it ache for a long while but now it’s aching like last few days !? And my strength work doesn’t seem as fluent (as comfortable as was ) before this what should be my next port of call if Physio and surgeon not worried but getting old symptoms cheers
Sorry 6 months post op
I would back off the routine a bit Dean. Give it a few days of rest. This just sounds like you are pushing it a bit too much? Remember that it does take a bit of time for all of this to recover, you are still in the early stages.
I am 6months post op after right Hip Arthroscopy secondary to Labrador tear. I am having severe groin pai, so bad that I try to walk as little as possible. As a result I’ve gained 20 pounds since the surgery, which is only making matters worse.
I did not have a very good rapport with my surgeon and am reluctant to go back, but I really need to pursue some sort of treatment because I am in so much pain. I am not sure where to even make an appointment, should I start over with a different hip ortho, should I gave my GP order an MRI and then take the MRI to the new ortho … or go back to my original surgeon?
Also, I completely understand you can’t give a diagnosis, but what are some of the possible causes of this?
Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated Dan. I truly appreciate all of the information you share on this page … thank you for taking the time to help us!
Lori Peffer
At six months out you should be feeling better than before the surgery. If the muscles that control the hip are weak that could be the issue. I would perhaps start by getting a fresh set of eyes on the problem. Find an experienced PT and get an evaluation. Based on that, the PT will probably suggest a course of action (which may involve seeing a hip orthopedist).
I am in the same situation. Or tho says replacement but won’t say why. Three other opinions who disagree with his based on images. I too believe this procedure is experimental and destructive. Good Manuel therapy helps muscles, but pinching pain and spams worse than before surgery. Doctors seem to hesitate to comment on others work leaving patients behind. Would love to hear success stories after difficulties. Even drs pa says he is sorry he did his own. Light at the end of this tunnel?
i am 21 year old male, i had surgery to repair a torn left labrum in my hip on october 27, 2016. i am now 7 months post surgery and still get those inflammation type pains/discomforts but i am able to do most activities at 100%. how much longer should i give it for these discomforts to go away before i go back to my surgeon?
I would maybe get a follow-up eval to see how the strength and flexibility look, a PT should be able to do that. The surgeon in my opinion might be less likely to give you any solid advice at this point. If you are improving a bit from month to month, you are on track. It may take up to a year.
I am a 34 yr old female and I am 4 weeks post-op. I had an arthroscopic R labral tear repair with 3 anchors, an osceotomy of the ball and socket, my psoas lengthened, and a bursectomy of the trochanter. My surgery seems to have been a success. My pain level before the surgery was between an 8-9, since the surgery it’s generally between a 1-3! For me the surgery has already been totally worth it. I use the walk through with crutches and am being weaned down to one crutch. I do 30 min PT in the gym and 30 in the pool and am only taking naproxen.
Hi there. I am 38 years old and almost 4 weeks post op from a labral tear repair as well as shaving of the femur.
By two weeks I was able to walk around the house without crutches and with a pretty normal gait. Pain free unless I was on my feet too long. Then icing helped. By 3 weeks I set the crutches aside for the most part.
A couple of days ago I was sitting on the floor, knees bent but not cross legged, and rocked forward to get up and felt a pop and pain which was followed by some tingling and an ache that radiates from the hip all the way down the left leg into the foot. The ache and what seems to be nerve pain is still there. Should I be concerned that I have re-torn the labrum? Or could this be something entirely different? Any advice?
Thanks so much for your input!
I do not think that pain from the hip joint refers down the leg that far. This may actually be coming from your lower back, or from a clamping down of the “piriformis” muscle in the buttock. I think that the labrum is safe, but I would certainly have the doc or the PT check it out. In the mean time, I would avoid flexing forward of the spine while twisting.
Thank you!! As of this morning the front hip ache (and low back a bit) is still there but the tingling down the leg has backed off.
Piriformis makes sense. Ill be getting it checked this week.
Much appreciated!
I am nearly 7 months post surgery and I feel significant pain in the top of the pain / bottom of the quad. Is this something related to the labral surgery or is it possible another injury
Also, I still do have some significant pain in the hip and the doctor suggested an injection to get the hip over “the final hurdle” as a follow up MRI revealed no re-tear or structural damage. Have you heard of an injection providing significant enough relief for the pain to permanently subside?
Thanks!
It could possibly be referred from the hip, but it usually does not refer down that low. I would maybe have the hip looked at with a fresh set of eyes in terms of a PT. This could just as easily be a muscle imbalance or a weakness.
To Mike!!.. Their is a lidocaine shot (fyi it might be mix some other medicines too) that is given in the hip. Yes it works but tbh i don’t know how long. When I got a shot it lasted about 2 months. But I haven’t had surgery yet.
Hey Mike… what did you find out?
I am 4 months post surgery, and also have pain in quad especially after walking. And it’s always a few hours after exercise but not during.
Curious…
Nnacy
You may have irritated the femoral nerve, which is close to the psoas muscle. So, if your overdo your walking, active flexion activities, can cause parasthesia. I must’ve irritated the lot component, which was causing my leg to buckle, when I put my full body weight on it. Happened 9 weeks out, been dealing with it for 3 weeks. Wouldn’t have figured it out, if I didn’t initiate electrical at the top of the groin area. I’m a PT, and my rehab outpatient PT, agreed with me…Taper back on your activities that require active hip flexion. I’m also icing the area, taking ibuprofen. Will see my ortho doc, to see if I can get a cortisone injection there.
Hello there,
Im an avid amateur powerlifter/ bodybuilder and Im due to have a partial acetabular osteotomy and a repair to the labrum in the next month. I know I will more than likely be given advice post-operatively by the physio team available but I was wondering do you have any advice at all as to how I should approach a return to a full weightlifting programme?
Any help is greatly appreciated
Thank you.
It will take upward of a year to get back close to full function. In terms of post-op protocol, don’t do more than they say even if you are feeling great. The anchors and the tissue need time to heal. An acetabular osteotomy is going to take a few months to get under control.
Long term, I would avoid ballistic type exercises that might traumatize the hip. If it were me, I would stay away from running, particularly on hard surfaces. Box jumping might not be a good idea either. I also would not go into freakish ranges of motion with squatting.
Thank you, for reconfirminf the aforementioned restrictions. Greatly appreciated. I’m 9 weeks out.unfortunately flared up the surgical area, with too much walking…
Dan–
Seriously? My doctor tells me to push, to keep working out, and that after 4 months I can do PT on my own.
He has assured me those anchors are secure and I don’t need to worry, just rest if it starts hurting.
The PT was not advancing me… he didn’t change any RX after week 7, so after week 14 I just started doing my own stuff. That’s why I am here.
I am following the printed protocol plus trying to do more strengthening… such as basic leg and glute strengthening. Still have some rom issues….
Any further advice would be welcome. Or if you can point to a vid? I’m at week 22.
Impatient? Perhaps, but the protocol suggested working on squats and lunges on like week 10.
Impatient patient
Hello,
I had a repair for a severe labrum tear with 5 anchors and a plication done for a lose socket also. I am at 9 weeks post surgery. The pain I had before the surgery in my hip is gone but now I have pain in my groin area and upper inner thigh area. I have PT three times a week and the groin pain seems to have increased as I have been doing more exercises such as squats and step ups and side step ups and squats with the leg sliding to the side, stairmaster, crabwalking with resistance bands and leg press and so on. I don’t feel the pain when I am on the stationary bike at all and I just started jogging intervals on the alter G also. The physical therapist also has poked and pushed down on these areas and that was extremely painful and I am now bruised there. Does this seem typical since I did not have the groin pain previously? Should I use ice or heat to help calm the pain down?
Thanks so much for any advice. Really appreciate this site.
You should back off the routine for a week or so to let things calm down a bit. I think that you may e over-working it. I would guess that ice would probably help a bit with the pain.
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I really appreciate it! I will start doing less of the numerous squats they have added on but will continue with the bike and isometrics and other “easier” exercises. Regarding the therapist poking to break up the scar tissue in that area – is that normal to bruise? I wasn’t hurting as much in that whole area before so not sure if he poked too hard and damaged something or if it’s all just from doing more exercises and maybe too much. Should I try to self massage that area or just ice and let it calm down? Thanks again!
Fortunately the PT cannot poke so deep as to damage any anchors. The soft tissue could possibly bruise up from deep pressure though. My money is on the amount and intensity of the exercises that you are doing. I would ice and rest.
Thanks again. I really appreciate that you have this forum and take the time to help. I’m sure I have a good PT team on my side and didn’t want to insult them and seem ungrateful by questioning them and their protocol. It’s nice to have another professional like you to ask such things.
Thanks again.
Best,
Kate
I’ve incurred the same symptoms.I’m incredibly relieved that it’s due to overuse, not surgical compromise.thank your Good Lord, and your blog page, with sound advice. :-D
Hi I had a labrum repair on my hip I’m 5 weeks post op now. Recovery was amazing until 5 days ago when I developed a painful bubble like feeling in my groin. I’m back to having to lift my leg into the car! My physio is pretty sure I just overdid things (I did all my exercises plus 35 min stationery cycling, and then walked a few kms slowly to get to a lunch). The exercises tho were the 4 week post op so nothing hugely strenuous.
Sounds very similar the issue in this thread. It feels like a bubble or a long blockage. And is extremely painful. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
One of the most common post-labral issues is hip tendonitis. I think that what you might be feeling involves one of the hip flexors. Back off the workouts and let it calm down. Keep walking to where you need to go rather than recreational.
Hey,
I am a 31 year old male 3 months post op from a labral repair/fai surgery where they shaved down my bone for cam imingement. Was on crutches for almost 3 weeks then Started therapy. I was making good progress even though my lateral hip/leg was very painful from IT band syndrome, but the last few weeksi have been getting moderate groin pain as well. Doc said it was just inflammation but it seems to throb and it bothers me throughout the day. I constantly take advil which seems to help a little but anytime i do any adductor work or try to use the leg press, squat the pain gets worse and i stay frustrated. I really thought i would be feeling better by the 3 month mark but im honestly constantly in mild to moderate pain and i know it could be my adductors but my overall hip just feels like i have a headache in it if you know what i mean. Do you think i should slow things down? Will be looking for a new PT soon as mine has been subpar. Thanks for reading
I would definitely slow things down. Table exercises sound good to me. The squatting or pressing motions may be pressing the area where the CAM lesion was into the acetabulum, and that cause some irritation and groin pain.
Thanks for your reply so quickly. I will try to slow things down for now and try to get my therapist to understand(workmens comp, tough). I also noticed i have some rubbing/grinding sensation i had before surgery. It happens on flexion after my hip
Has been flexed and abducted. I cant tell if its coming from
My hip or my lower back or if it is my trochanter rubbing on my IT band. Just has a funny kind of pain in my lateral hip/glute region. Anyhow the groin pain has become a daily thing off and on just hope it settles. Im a fireman and make my living crawling on my knees and extreme physical work. Thanks
For listening
Thanks for your reply so quickly. I will try to slow things down for now and try to get my therapist to understand(workmens comp, tough). I also noticed i have some rubbing/grinding sensation i had before surgery. It happens on flexion after my hip
Has been flexed and abducted. I cant tell if its coming from
My hip or my lower back or if it is my trochanter rubbing on my IT band. Just has a funny kind of pain in my lateral hip/glute region. Anyhow the groin pain has become a daily thing off and on just hope it settles. Im a fireman and make my living crawling on my knees and extreme physical work. Thanks
For listening
I read this and it is similar to what I’m experiencing. I’m 42yrs old had arthroscopic hip surgery 5 months ago. They repaired labral tear, impingement and a cam legion. I started working 2 wks ago and I’m
Experiencing a pop and pretty bad hip pain. I’m a radiology technologist and unfortunately I have to stand most of my work day. It is a physical job. The hip did not hurt as much before I started work.
My question is is it normal for the popping and pain? And usually when does it subside.
I would usually say that by six months there should be some solid, long term improvements. It may be that the hip strength is trying to catch up to the amount of standing time required by your job. Ideally it would be a good idea to slowly ramp up the hours, but I know that many employers don’t allow that.
I would bring the popping symptoms to the attention of the PT or the doc. A quick assessment might be a good idea.
This.information wvery helpful. Thank you, Dan
I’m in the same situation, at 11 weeks post-op. I hope our situation, improves, very soon.I had a complex labral hip tear, on my right side, went front, to back. Lucky, that I didn’t require an allograft, have at least 5-7 anchor screws….feels like a bad gnawing toothache, along with buckling, due.to.uncoordinated muscle firing.
I am a baseball player and was wondering how long it would be before I could hit a baseball again after labrum tear surgery? It is my backside hip, the one I rotate on. I also wondered if I would be able to do upper body exercises/lifts to stay in shape post-surgery (bench press, curls, table exercises). Thank you for your time.
I don’t see the problem with doing the upper extremity weight routine, but run it by the doctor. In terms of taking full swings, I would guess at least 4-6 months from the op date, with a very gradual ramp in of course. You should also get the blessing of the doc and the PT prior to starting that.
Hi Dan, I had a labral repair 5 weeks ago and I wasn’t prepared mentally for the set back in terms of lifestyle and training as the original plan was only a debridement and 3 weeks off.
At which stage can I live normally again with a full return to work and recreational activities / training within reason?.
Right now I’m still on two crutches heel toe 25 percent weight bearing. I feel it’s very conservative but I understand the need to preserve the surgical site. I’m not even allowed to do lower body water therapy yet.
Thanks for the informative article and love the website
Daniela
I think that you are close to transitioning to full weight bearing. Usually by about 6 weeks those anchors have healed into place well. I would not go “cold turkey” off of those crutches. Transition into weight bearing with the crutches, and I also think that it is a good idea to practice just standing quietly without any support (equal weight bearing on both legs).
A lot of docs who do labral surgeries say that the patient turns a corner at about 4-6 months in terms of normalcy. I tend to agree with that. Hang in there, once you are fully weight bearing your life is going to get a whole lot better.
Thank you so much, I will put that advice into place!!
Dear Dan,
My name is David and I live in London UK. On 1st February 2017 I had a laberal tear repaired with anchors via an endoscopy surgery. I was on crutches for 2 weeks then 1 crutch for 3 more weeks. 4 weeks ago, so 4 months after op I began light run 200 meters alternating with 200 meters walking. This felt ok. I then 2 weeks ago held a heavy box and experienced discomfort in my operated leg groin area. The next day I ran for a bus which caused discomfort. Now today and in recent weeks since running for the bus I have been experiencing pain, sometimes throbbing after long walks and pain in flexed hip/leg position. I am quite upset and unsure whether I have undone the surgery or is it expected to feel pain at this point nearly 5 months post op and having done what I stated above?
Thank you for taking the time to read my message, I am happy for this to be posted and I look forward to hearing from you via email.
Best wishes,
David
It is not unheard of to have these things happen many months after the surgery. I would keep the walks shorter in length until the inflammation goes down. If your strength is not ideal around the hip you can easily develop irritation in the hip flexors. I would have a physio look at your strength and mobility.
Thank you for getting back to me! It is reassuring.
Yes, thank you, Dan, for helping us out. I genuinely appreciate it.
Two weeks ago I had labral repair, after doing physical therapy my foot is kind of numb. Is this typical?
No, that isn’t typical. I would run it by the doc to be safe. Your probably fine, but let someone know.
Happy to have found this page. I’m now 8 months post-op (labral repair and cam osteoplasty), but lately have been feeling like progress has stalled. I had gotten up to running 15 miles a week, but backed off for a month per the advice of my PT to focus on getting stronger, the idea being that it would help me run better. Have been running once a week now (and using the time off to focus on strength), but my runs don’t feel any better. My hip flexor is really tight, and my adductor, lower back, and abs all get sore. Even when I’m not running (walking, swimming, biking, just standing…), I’m still constantly aware of the fact that one hip is not like the other. It feels like I should be further along at 8 months, but I’ve been religious about PT exercises and stretching. Any advice? Is it possible that something went wrong with the surgery, or are these just really bad muscle imbalances I now have to fix?
Thanks!
It is probably the joint reaction force with running that is causing the pain. I would d/c the running until the pain is gone. After that I would have your running style analyzed. I would try to use a “foot flat” or “toe strike” pattern for running rather than the typical “heel-toe” that most people do. I would also consider treadmill training as a way of decreasing force.
Hello, I am a 58 year old female who had hip arthroscopy for a labral repair and an FAI impingement. Two weeks post-op but a few days ago I accidentally put my full weight on the operated leg. I was also on the recumbent bike and I started to get a pinching my hip, do you think I undid any of the clamps/screws?
Probably not, but it is always a good idea to keep your doctor in the loop. It is common for the hip to have a pinching feeling such as the one you described when it is weak.
Hello,
I had hip arthroscopy to repair a torn labrum and shave down femoral head cams on Jan 7th. The pain is getting progressively worse and I can no longer move without pain, with the pain waking me up every 40 minutes or so every night. My new orthro surgeon is telling me I still have cams that need to be shaved and need my labrum to be reconstructed due to it detaching from the anchors and becoming shredded.
The doctor told me to take time off of PT cause I had been doing it 2x week for a year now.
I was wondering if this second surgery will now call for longer PT protocol and recovery time seeing as it will be a second surgery. I work in OT on my feet all day and I feel like I can no longer do my job or properly help my patients as I wish I could; I can no longer horse back ride which is devastating to me and I can no longer leave my house without being in agony.
Thank you for listening and I would appreciate any input you might have regarding whether I will ever be able to live my life as I wish I could.
Thanks!!!
The second time around as a general rule takes a bit longer to recover from, but then again your first recovery sounds as if it took an abnormally long time. I agree with the doc: take a month or two off the structured exercises and see what happens. I would also get an additional opinion on this whole matter.
Had laberal surgery they shaved it down surgery on May 8 2017
10 physcal therapy sessions don’t feel like it is helping still having a lot of groin pain not sure why I’m having the same pain as before the surgery Almost regretting having the surgery we decussed hip replacement of this surgery
It is most likely going to take at least another 4 months to get the full possible effect of the surgery. The groin pain is very common because of the weakness that results from the surgery.
Hi! I am 42 year old nurse practitioner that is almost 6 weeks post op for cam and pincher FAI repair and labral repair. I evidently had hip dysplasia. I am unable to stay off the crutches. Walking full weight bearing causes a flare in the groin and hip pain and I return to crutches for 3-4 days. I also suspect IT band inflammation. Just curious… Is it common to have nausea from the deep joint pain?
Also I have found that I cannot sit in a chair to complete charts but only a few minutes. I cannot stand very long due to pain in my nonsurgical hip (I suspect overuse but wonder if it has same hip dysplasia as it now also hurts like surgical hip prior to surgery).
I’m trying to wean from the crutches but feel I get a set back every time I walk with one crutch. I have found that walking in the pool is the only time I am pain free since surgery. I want to get back to working full time hours asap but am struggling with the sitting, standing and walking part of my job. My therapist says to have patience and go slow but being an optimistic runner, mother of 3 smal children living in a 2 story house, I am finding difficulties with patience. Any words of wisdom?
Oh and by the way…my only symptom prior to surgery was feeling like I dislocated my hip while wiggling to pull my jeans up over my hips. I suspected a labral tear but never suspected cam n pincher impingement. Also I had horrible low back pain at bilateral SI joints that I assumed was due to hard work on the farm n gardening. I have had zero back pain since surgery.
I would perhaps work on gradually increasing the weight bearing while using both crutches. I would use a step-through pattern, with basically the surgical-side foot touching the ground at the same time as the crutches. The one-crutch thing can be a bit tricky and pitch your center of gravity too far over.
Hi, I was diagnosed with bilateral impingement. I most recently had revision surgery on my right hip on 5/24/17 after two doctors found residual impingement. I have yet to do my left hip. At six weeks, I feel a bit better but have significant groin pain on the surgical side and significant pain in my left inner buttocks/sacral area and tingling as far up as my left lower lumbar. Two questions:
1. How long should I expect the groin pain to last? Shoukd I limit PT and activities to try to keep the inflammation down, so accept tgis pain and work on strengthening?
2. On the left/non surgical side, could this be the untreated left side fai referring pain to my buttocks and lumbar? Or could this be an imbalance from having the right side done twice? I had buttocks pain befor any of this started, and the revision surgery on my right side seemed to resolvd the buttocks pain on the right side.
Thanks so much!
Hip pathology such as what you describe can refer pain in to the lower back, so it is possible that either side is causing the lumbar pain. I would keep the activity level under control until that groin pain calms down. Some people will have a gradual ramp down of pain until at least six months post-op, so you will likely have to be super patient about this.
Thanks very much for the incisive reply. A couple of follow ups:
1. What would cause FAI pain to refer to the posterior buttocks/sacrum/lumbar? Would it be a result of muscle compensation/imbalance? E.g.s., a tight piriformis? Sacro-iliac (SI) joint dysfunction? I’m having a hard time imagining how my hip(s) could cause so much pain!
2. Are there certain indicators/tests/movements to confirm whether the source of my remaining left posterior sacral/buttock/lumbar pain is in fact my hip(s)? The pain is accentuated by sitting. I’ve had such a rough go with the right I want to be as sure as I can with my left side . My docs so far seem to have ruled out spinal discs (though my MRI does show minimal bulging discs like much of the population) and SI joint dysfunction. I’ve had diagnostic cortisone shots in my hips and L4/L5, to little effect. And yet the right revision FAI seems to have resolved a good deal of the posterior pain on the right side.
Thanks so much again – I may come in and see you in the near future!
I don’t think that the medical establishment knows exactly why pain refers from a particular joint to other areas, but the medical establishment has definitely has tons of data that has shown the hip referring pain into the lower back (and vice versa).
It is also entirely possible like you mentioned that altered mechanics (walking, sit-to-stand) can cause extra strain on the back when one is not “even” in terms of hip strength and alignment.
In terms of indicators, if scouring the hip through ranges of motion provokes the lower back pain, that would be one indicator. I would probably have a PT do that rather than doing it yourself.
If I were to take a gather at this, I would guess that it might be a combination of referral and mechanics due to strength asymmetry.
I had labral repair with cam lesion removal 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I was relatively pain free up until 2 days ago, and am now having sharp shooting pains deep in my hip when I move certain ways. I was seeing a physical therapist that I thought was a little too aggressive, for example he bent my knee a little past 90 degrees a bunch of times. I went to him twice before switching to a place my surgeon recommended. The new place is way more gentle, but they had me dropping my knee out past 30degrees, which I didn’t think I was allowed to do. I’m so scared that I blew the repair. How easy is it to re-tear the labrum this soon after surgery? I have also done a little reaching down to touch my calf/foot. I even shaved my leg. I reached gently, of course, and had no pain at all while doing it, but now I’m wondering if that screwed everything up. HELP! I’m freaking out, and am so anxious!!!
I don’t think that doing those relatively small movements will ruin this surgery. Certain movements might irritate the hip a bit, but you would probably have to do something way more substantial than that to dislodge an anchor.
Thank you so much for your response! It definitely puts me a little more at ease! Should I be having sharp pains in the actual hip joint? My physical therapist had said “as long as it’s soreness around the joint from muscles, and not pain in the joint, it’s ok”. So, when I started feeling the pain in the joint I panicked that it was not ok!
It is not at all uncommon to get pain in the hip joint after this surgery. I would make sure that the PT and the doc are up to speed on what is going on.
Ok, I have been feeling so much better the past 2 days! I saw my surgeon’s assistant yesterday and she cleared me to begin putting some weight on my leg. I tried today and it feels like my operated leg is longer than the other. Is this normal? If I have both feet on the floor, I have to be on my tippy toes on my non operated leg to make my hips even. Is this because of the swelling, or do you think this is going to be another issue I will have to face?
Hi!
I am one year post op from multiple hip labral tear repair, femoral head shaved, bursectomy, among another thing or two (just moved and records not located). I am still having a lot of buttock pain in said side. In the initial MRI report, it was clear my gluteus medius was torn. This was not addressed during surgery. After my progress seems to have halted (in some areas, still much better than before) but I am not where I should be. I thought it was my piraforimis but it is not. Is it possible I need to have another surgery for the muscle repair? I am really discouraged right now!
That is difficult to answer. If the gluteus medius is torn, that is certainly an issue. I would get a second opinion on this with the best hip specialist that you can find regionally.
I had a hip arthroscopy a year ago and after standing on my feet for 6 hours a day it’s beginning to hurt again, do you have any advice?
Go the conservative route. I would find a reputable PT and have an evaluation to see if there is anything off in terms of strength and mobility. I would also look in to the best possible foot wear for your foot type. A PT should be able to help you out with that as well.
I had labreal repair surgery 7 months ago and have had terrible spasms in hip for 3 months straight everyday and pain in hip I’m going for another MRI on my hip. My hip has done nothing. It got worse with pain and spasms!
I am about 6 weeks post op from a completely destroyed hip socket…cracked posterior wall 3 anchors and I can’t remember the technical term…but they put a cap on the femur head bc from
Impact it has flattened…I am still unable to move my leg In certain directions…mostly inward…but 5/7 days a week every step I take my hip is giving out…it’s getting frustrating and I’m regretting this surgery!!
Ugh, this sounds like it was half of a replacement? I would give it a full course of healing and rehab (another 3-6 months at least). If you are getting nowhere by the end of that timeframe I would start to wonder if a total hip replacement is in order. 6 weeks is a bit early to give up, it is still relatively early.
I am going in to have the bone shaved and labrum repairs done Thursday. I have had 2 spinal fusion surgeries that totaled up to a level 3 fusion. I have been on the same dose of pain meds for 4 years and still deal with a lot of pain from my lower back. My pain Dr is 100% against increasing my dosage even for after the surgery. I am only on 40mg of Percocet a day. How painful is this going to end up being for me? I understand everybody is different, but I would appreciate your opinion. Thank you.
In many cases having the hip repaired will decrease the lower back pain substantially. The pain that will probably be a concern will be in the first few months after the surgery. It is a bit unpredictable how much pain will come right after surgery. Many people have little to no pain while others are uncomfortable due to the inflammation. I wish I could tell you definitively where you will fall in that range.
I am 12 weeks post op right labrium replace the, shaved femur, work on bursa and IT band lengthening. I go to PT 5 days a week – 3 days in gym and 2 days aquatherapy.
I have been doing great until I started to drive. I have been released to PT work and my job requires a lot of driving. End of day I have intense growing pain with a Zing that causes groin muscle to spasm. At times feels like leg has locked up. After about 3 days of drivers bing I can barely lift leg. I was doing so good – thoughts on why driving is causing this? I take a lot of breaks due bv my driving shift to stretch. Catch 22 is I have to work to support family but feel I’m getting worse with driving.
It may have to do with the amount of hip flexion that you are sitting in while driving. Have you tried raising the seat up or placing a pillow under you?
First off, thank you for a very simple and thorough explanation.
I’m 4 weeks out from arthroscopy hip impingement and labral repair, with two anchors. Both R & L hips showed signs of impingement, with the left being worse.
So going in I was spasming, had weakness and LOTS of pain.
My “better” leg had to deal with being the main leg for six months, it has now been the only leg the last three weeks.
So after the surgery my right side got to heal and my left was repaired. I was able to wieght bare on one crutch at 1 1/2 weeks. At 2 1/2 weeks I could take full weight with soon new assist. Now I have walked as normal as possible with no limp. Going farther everyday and for longer. I did my exercises almost 😓😫 daily. But due to forgetfulness I didn’t get PT set up and have not had any PT till tomorrow, with Many more after.
I suddenly started hurting bad for a few days with it getting worse. I know I might have overdone it, my house has stairs and I moving around allot.
Also I have a horrible habit of curling up in a ball, while sleeping, watching TV and sewing. I also kicked in my sleep the other night.
Sooooo…😱.. Could have I re torn my connections?
My right side is hurting as bad as my left had before surgery. Should I be worried? Is getting my right side done a good idea now?
Ohhh, why does my leg feel longer?
From what you are describing my guess is that you just over-did the activity. I would back off the activity for the time being and let the doc know what is going on.
The leg probably feels longer because of muscle weakness. Weight shifts can slightly elevate the pelvis on the side which you are placing most of your weight.
I am 15 months s/p hip labral repair and doing well. Is it okay to gallup/ trot on horse?
Hmmmm, I would get the doc’s opinion. In general, the hips are in a more stressed position on a horse than they are with walking etc. .
I am almost two years post labral tear surgery. I had a great recovery and have returned to exercise, however in the last few weeks I commenced more hiit/intense cardio exercises without any problems.
In the last three days my hip pain has came back and my leg keeps giving in with intense pain? Exactly how it was pre surgery.
Have I over done it or is it likely damaged it again? I have begun resting and taking anti inflammatory
Any help appreciated I am completely gutted
I would play with the variables that cause the pain. Certain types of cardio movements when done intensely might be causing the pain. Once you have figured out which ones are causing it, nix them (probably permanently). What you may be experiencing is impingement type pain, but that certainly does not mean that you tore the labrum again.
Sir had a labral repair with osteoplasty for cam impingement and it’s been 4 weeks now .first three weeks had minimal pain . Just started squats and walking and now getting pain in anterior hip and inner side of thighs. At rest pain is less. Hope have not damaged the labrum while walking .
Take it slow. I would start with limited walking only, and keep your squats only partial ranged. Realize that this is likely going to take many months for this to heal up.
I had hip labrum repair with FAI resection 11 days ago. Pain had been minimal and manageble and I had been doing conservative strengthening exercises as directed by the PT. I did a few double legged bridges though and a few hours later I started felling a sharp pain in my groin. Some time later also gluteal pain, both pains like the ones I had prior to surgery. What is the likelihood I have retorn my labrum? Thank you.
Bridging through a normal range should not have dislodged an anchor. I would take it easy for several days and let the doc know what is going on.
I had a hip bursectomy and repair of my glutenous medias 3.5 weeks ago. The Physical Therapy dept is not taking any new patients for 3 more weeks. Are there exercises I can do to strengthen my hip until the PT can see me? Is it going to be bad to wait that long for therapy? I want to get back to playing golf as soon as possible. I would appreciate any advise. I am still using crutches with about 50% weight bearing.
Whenever a muscle is repaired with anchors or sutures, it does in most cases take up to six (6) weeks for the anchors to heal into place. Based on this timeline I do not think that it is a huge deal that you are not starting physical therapy yet. I would work on trying to walk as normally as possible, even if this means taking slower steps and weaning off the crutches slowly per the MD’s protocol. You can still practice a normalized walking pattern with crutches with a “step through” pattern.
Thank you so much.
Hi there. 43 year old female with a Hip arthroscopy planned for Sept 6. I have FAI in my right hip with a labral tear and what my doctor says is a very mild ‘rim fracture. I am an active Triathlete and compete in Ironman events. Competed in two this year with this condition. Pain in my hip and lower back have led me to surgery.
My question is about getting back to Ironman level competition. I want to return to Swim Bike Run as it’s such a huge part of my life. What do you believe is a realistic return plan and how much of my training base would you expect me to lose? All of it?
Is it realistic to believe I will one day bike for long distances and run without pain?
That is a very tough question to answer. My guess is that the return plan will be at least 6-8 months. The biking is probably less impact long-term on the hip and definitely more feasible. The running on the other hand is a lot of ground reaction force. I would find the best sports medicine PT in town and make sure that you have guidance through this post-op process. Your strength and mechanics are going to have to be ideal in order to return to long distance running like you described.
you last sentence makes me wonder…..return like you described — meaning do you believe that a full return to strong, pain free Swim Bike Run is an unrealistic expectation?
Would you go as far to say that surgery may not be the best option? I am having big concerns that while the FAI, Labral tear and whatnot impact my life negatively today, it doesn’t make my life unlivable.
going through surgery and not getting pain free, stronger etc would be a terrible outcome, Is that a risk?
That is a super tough question to answer, as 43 is in that grey area. No surgeon can guarantee that you will get back 100% function in terms of the high level of activity that you want. I can say that you would most likely have a good outcome based on your prior level of fitness.
Hi there,
I’m 28 and just had a periacetabular osteotomy on my right hip for hip dysplasia, and also a labral repair on the same hip. I’m now 7 weeks post op, partial weight bearing. Ever since I started PT last week (I held off on any strengthening or stretching besides ankle pumps to allow everything to heal) I’m having really bad sharp/dull pain in the groin where the tear was.
I went from basically zero activity (besides getting up to the bathroom) to strengthening excercises that I don’t even think I can do. Should I rest for a week, and rethink my approach to PT? Unfortunately my physical therapist seems incompetent in terms of what to do, and doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the labral repair and is focusing on the osteotomy side. It’s really frustrating.
Thank you for your time!!
-C
Get a new PT. Find someone perhaps with more experience who can help with your situation. Call around and ask for recommendations. I would stick with the most simple of exercises for the time being. It also sounds like giving the hip a few days of rest is a decent idea.
Hey Dan
I am a 37yo competitive cyclist, and generally very healthy, and do lots of strength work to assist my cycling. After experiencing severe pain in my right glute medius and right groin area after any intensive training, an MRI revealed a Cam Lesion. I had a hip arthoscopy 6 weeks ago, and am recovering well. I had the cam lesion reshaped, a microfracture to aide cartilage regrowth, and some ossification removed. However I am still experiencing pain in the upper buttock / gluteus medius area, and my physio advised me that this is nothing to do with the hip…which has me pretty worried as that was what I believed we were addressing with the surgery! Other sources (online mainly) say pain in this area is related to FAI – be good to hear your input.
Cheers
Charles
CAM lesions are typically the result of repetitive, irregular contact of the femur into the acetabulum. The doc in all probability did a good job of getting rid of that lesion. The short term problem that you are left with is the local inflammation around the lesion site, which ironically refers pain in a similar fashion as it did before. I see this very often with these type of post-ops. It will probably take several months for this to subside. I wouldn’t freak out.
Thanks Dan, appreciate the response.
I’m 30 and 9 wks post left hip arthroscopic surgery.. Was told before surgery only 20-30% improvement so I’m not expecting miracles. Pain has been worse since 2 wks post, I just came off last crutch, am now on a cane. My thigh stays tight, cannot walk up stairs or do a bike, get spasms in hip and leg the hip still hurts. Though nothing as before surgery. Do I tell my dr about the pain even though he warned me? I don’t like to complain, just didn’t think my leg would be in a constant state of pain.. Thanks
I would certainly keep the doc in the loop about the pain levels. You are allowed to complain Ginger.
I had Hip Impingement FAI surgery (and Labrum repair)
Twice on left (first surgeon didn’t do the best second surgeon was excellent) had it once on right side. My left was done -second time – end of December 2016. All 3 in a period of 5 years. I am still in PT. I believe the surgeries to be a success. Groin pain gone deep buttock pain gone. However, this 3rd and final surgery lower and mid pack pain that I NEVER had before. I Went from running to a lot of inactivity for “many months”. Except PT. Lots of glute work and strengthening, clamshells..,my back pain started about 4 months ago. Working hard at it in PT. It will NOT let up. I was even running in the “water” and it bothered my low back. Is it from too many surgeries and my body shut down after the 3rd one. I am 49 years old. Always ALWAYS have been extremely active my entire life. Details and any insight you may have please. Thank you.
The hip will not refer to the mid back, so my guess is that this is a mechanical issue. You are moving differently than before and causing strain. I think that a lot of this stems from the asymmetry that comes from placing more weight on one side after a surgery. It would not surprise me if you had something called a pelvic “upshift” on one side. I would have a manually based PT take a look at your pelvis and spine. Maybe a set of fresh eyes?
Thanks. You are a very busy person and appreciate an “actual reply”. Good info on “pelvic upshift”. Thank you for your time! LeAnn
P.S. I have tried dry needling it didn’t work. LeeAnn who has had FAI surgery 3 times (back pain)
I’m 18 and 3 days post op from labral repair and osteoplasty, I’ve been having some pretty harsh pain deep in my groin with movement and sometimes at rest but my PT claims it’s normal and I should continue with excercise. Any thoughts on this? It feels very deep and there’s a popping and clicking sound in there.
I would concur with the PT. It can be quite painful, especially this early. I would keep the exercise within reason. Hopefully the PT showed you some table exercises to start with.
I am 3 months out from surgery from a hip labral tear. I was a avid runner and weight lifter. how soon can I get back to working. I still have pain in my groin area. I have been doing PT since week two with no change it seems like I am at a stand still.
Some people don’t turn the corner for up to six (6) months following this surgery. Your return to work and weight lifting largely depends on what your presentation is currently. I would ask a PT who can evaluate you in person that question.
Hi,
I am 2 years post op, I did all my rehab but my right hip has never been 100% I have always worked out and thats what makes me happy so i don’t want to stop. But my right hip as been very sore lately and back on the anti-inflammatory and taking it easy. The last time i saw the specialist he said it could be scar tissue that is rubbing but wasn’t concerned and i haven’t seen him in 8 months. the fact im still getting discomfort deep in the groin area should i be worried??
It might be worth your time to get a diagnostic test to see exactly what is going on. Getting a fresh set of eyes on the mechanics is also a good idea. I would try to find a very experienced PT in your area who deals with lots of hips.
Aloha-
I’m a University teacher in Hawai’i and after a year of misdiagnosis and many doctors telling me the pain was a back sprain and would go away- I finally found a good GP who referred me to one of the best Surgeons on the island (as an academic- trust me I’ve done my research on the man) I’ve finally been diagnosed with a posterior labral tear in my right hip and a hole punched through by more osteophytes. Apparently a cluster of osteophytes caused it. I’m doing one more MRI with contrast next week- and even the surgeon is concerned because the problem is atypical. I’d love to know if anyone’s been through a surgery with atypical posterior tears and what to expect. To be honest- I’m scared to death of having a surgery that isn’t common and would love any help on what to expect post-op and if anyone’s had this type of surgery-
Thanks!
I am a 59 year old female 7 months post-op arthroscopic hip surgery with torn labrum repair and shaved down bone with impingement in the socket due to dysplasia. I completed 5 months of PT and did very well, with some discomfort still occassionally occuring in the groin area, which was a problem pre-surgery, as well. I seem to do well with my on-going recovery, exercising, riding my bike, with no pain. But then, recently, out of the blue, I’ll be walking (no running) and get a shooting pain in the groin and start limping. This takes a couple days to calm down with some ibuprofen. Or turn or twist suddenly, and get a collapsing weakness on that leg. Surgeon seems to think this is not uncommon and could take a year for complete recovery. I am patient, but getting worried with these setbacks and constant flare ups of groin pain. Is this normal? Could it be something else? It’s really cramping my ability to exercise and lose the 15 lbs. I put on which I attribute to cortisone shots. Thank you!
In your case it may indeed take a bit more time to get a full recovery effect. I will always add a few months to recovery time for the fifty-and over crowd. Make sure that you are allowing adequate time for rest after hip workouts. If the muscles get tired and are not allowed to recover there is the possibility of a lack of control of the femoral head and impingement type pain.
Hello
I am about 2 months post op with 4 anchors. Prior to my hip surgery I was experiencing a tingling sensation down my right leg. I had 5 MRIs done on my back because I lift alot but everything was normal. I continued training. The tingling sensation soon changed into hip muscle spasms that traveled up to my lower back. When this happened the pain was so severe I was in tears and could not move my leg forward from the muscles contracting. This landed me in the ER 5 times with more tests done and nothing to be found,. my last visit a nurse finally said it sounds like a labral tear and told me to go to Boston. As soon as I saw my surgeon he knew right away and scheduled the MRI. After 6 months of not knowing and visiting many doctors, i should have gone there first.
I have been out of work for 2 months now, PT twice a week and i can go to the gym again. Nothing too intense, just some biking,walking and upper body if I dont feel any pain and not too much extra weight on my hip… no squats.
I still have those muscle spasms though, it is not as painful now but it is very annoying. I still need to stop when it takes place due to not being able to move my leg forward and if i try to walk through it, I get tingling down to my foot . PT tells me this is from my under active glute from the injury (which is noticeably smaller than the other side), and the muscle are trying to protect the anchors, which the body perceives as a new injury. I have heard of one person that experienced this and it took her spasms about 4 months to subside after the surgery. Has anyone experienced this ?
I think that the spasms should slowly ebb down as the mechanics of the hip improve from the gluteal strengthening. This may take quite a bit of time. I have seen patients who had these complaints for up to six (6) months or more, depending on the patient’s age, fitness level etc..
HI Dan. I had hip surgery 7 months ago – labral debridement, bursectomy and ITB loosening – to manage gluteal med tendinopathy and bursitis. Had PT afterwards as part of rehab, but pain on walking, and now sitting got worse 5 months after surgery. Had an MRI a month ago, which revealed a torn labrum, and was told further surgery not an option, but I’m on the waiting list for cortisone injections before I begin another round of PT. I’m not optimistic. I don’t understand after having labral debridement, why I have gone on to develop a labral tear. My question is will PT help to heal a torn labrum. The orginal tendinopathy issue is still there, i think. Any help gratefully received.
PT may indeed help. If you have some sort of underlying mechanical issue, this could contribute to chronic issues like you described. I would look around and see if there are any PT’s in your area who practice “MSI”, movement system impairment. This is taught at Washington University PT school in Saint Louis, MO. It is a great system that involves diagnosing how the head of the femur translated with motions etc.. It is worth a try to have it evaluated by someone who is versed in that train of thought.
I’m diligently doing my PT – using stationary bike, strengthening and my movement with ambulation has been great compared to prior my repair. With the symptoms I have, do you think being stationary will worsen it compared to be moving around because I feel good being up and about rather than confined to one place. I’m not sure if there’s anybody who specializes MSI in our area but I’ll search around. If i can’t find one what else would you recommend. Thank you!
Where do you live? I will put a feeler out on the WashU Facebook page to see if anybody is near you.
I live in the Bay Area.
Lauren Saeger is in your area.
Hello,
I’m 4months post Arthroscopic Rt hip Labral repair. Still experiencing groin pain – it starts from the groin then goes to anterior thigh – a deep achy feeling and mild tingling sensation and also my Rt upper quadrant feels achy and tender to touch. The pain is mainly on sitting and stationary standing. I’m still having an on and off hip discomfort but it’s not something I’m worried about. My job is pretty much sedentary and I’m concerned that if I continue to be in this position my symptoms will get worse especially that I have lower injury too. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Standing desk! I think that one of those “Varidesks” would be a good idea for you. Even if you spent 15 minutes out of every hour standing that would probably be of benefit to you. The sustained flexion of sitting may be slightly pinching the joint and the surgery site. That should calm down over time though.
I am a 43 avid runner although not crazy. I really like to run 35-45 miles per week and do one 1/2 marathon a year, sometimes a couple of 10K’s. I run a reasonable pace (average 8:00 min mile). Unfortunately, I have been sidelined for awhile now with a left labral tear that led to hamstring pain/tear. After 8 months of PT, surgery has been recommended. To compound matters, I tore my right labrum while skiing this past winter, and the pain with it has been increasing. I also have bilateral FAI. I will likely get surgery on both, but I’m trying to get a realistic picture my future running. It is possible to get back up to my usual running pace and distance?
That is a tough one. My guess is that you will probably be able to resume running, but it will be 6-12 months after the surgery date(s). At your age, it might be difficult to get back to that 35-45 weekly level with that amount of pathology. You can always start very conservatively and slowly work your way up. 10-20 seems more realistic, but you might surprise yourself.
Thank you, Dan, for contributing your time, and expertise, in regards to addressing our questions. Much appreciated!
Thank you, Dan, for contributing your time, and expertise, in regards to addressing our questions. Much appreciated!
I am 14 weeks post surgery for labral tear repair. I feel I have made great progress with the hip that had the surgery but am experiencing pain in the lower back and the non surgical hip area (constant hip and buttocks pain) . Sleep is a big issue. Is the pain in the other non surgical areas normal with this type of surgery or is there another problem.
Probably from the change in weight bearing after the surgery (dumping most of your weight on the non-surgery side). I would have the lower back assessed by a PT.
I am 1 day out from an MRI to find out if I have a labral tear on my left side. Never have had any tears/ breaks/ anything before. I am an avid powerlifer and first noticed the deep groin pain during a squat session. It just never got better and here I am 3 months later. My main questions is, if I have to undergo surgery, will I ever be able to lift heavy again? Is that realistic with proper recovery? Or will I always be operating at a lesser load than I would have been able to with no tear/ no surgery?
Tough to say. If it is a pincher lesion that caused the tear, a deep squat may not be a good idea long term. You may have to modify either weights or ranges.
Thank you, I appreciate the quick response.
I had arthroscopic hip Labrador tear surgery almost 5 years ago. I am a runner (or was) until new hip pain developed in the same hip (left) over the past year. Unfortunately it has gotten significantly worse during the last 6 months and I cannot run at all. The cause of the tear (a point on my femur) was also corrected. The pain is such that I cannot lead with that leg when I go up stairs. Is it possible that it’s re-torn? I am 62 and would not like to anticipate any kind of replace,want this early.
At your age the viability of the soft tissue just is not as good as it used to be. It is possible that the same tissue is involved again. I would see the ortho and have a set of x-rays done to start. It is also possible that this can be improved through strengthening and PT. Either way, the ortho is a good first step.
Hi
I had labral tear hip surgery 1 year ago. I now have horrible leg pains 24/7. I often struggle to walk through the pain. It is in my thigh and runs all the way down. Is this normal?? Is pt the only thing that will make it stop?
That is not normal, I would see the doc about it. Getting a second opinion at this time might also be a good idea.
Ok thank you so much
I found out from my Otho yesterday that I have a small non-displaced left hip labrum tear. I am a 33 years old runner and currently training for Chicago and New York Marathons this year. My Otho told me that I can no longer run for life, and suggested to find some other activities. As much as I respect his recommendation, running has been a big part of my life and I do not want to give it up so soon and sudden like this. Is it possible for labrum tear to get better through PT and strengthening? Or is surgery the only option for marathon runners like me to get back into racing?
You can improve the mechanics and strength through PT. We have had some patients here at the clinic who were able to make it through a long distance race after being diagnosed with a significant labral tear, but I do think that you will eventually be confronted with either having it repaired or modifying your activity.
Thank you, Dan, for your very quick response. Much appreciated!
I played basketball on my torn labrum for over a year and it was painful and started buckling which is why I had surgery but you definitely can keep running on it. Pt helped me a lot and in general I have found strait ahead running to be a lot less painful than lateral movement.
I am only just 18 and had a hip arthroscopy 10 months ago the pain was relieved after the operation, up until now, the pain is beginning to reoccur however, now it is whenever I stand in certain positions (pre-op it was only when I stood up to quickly)… I have an appointment with my surgeon in November, however I just want to know if this is normal? Will it ever get better?
I would guess that this is not normal. Are you playing some sport or doing some other repetitive activity? If you are, you should consider stopping it for some time. I would also get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. Find a skilled PT who can perform an evaluation on the hip and the lower back.
Hi! I had hip arthroscopy for FAI and labral tear on my left side 4 weeks ago. Since then I am on crutches with 20 kg weight bearing. On Sunday evening I felt fine and was light headed so I tried a pull up on my pull up bar attached to my door and – it happened what had to happen – It fell out of the rack and I hit on the ground with both feet from about 2 feet height. Since then I got a burning sensation in my left buttock and I am scared that I broke sth or my labrum re-tore (it was sewn with three anchors). I did not have a sharp pain when I landed, but afterwards I developed this buttock pain; exactly the one I had preop and I was so glad I lost immediately after surgery… From your experience, is it rather probable I retore it or is it just a (common) body answer to the “trauma”? Do such “injuries” happen more frequent or am I the only jerk? ;-) Thx very much in advance! Ps: I am using ibuprofen since then and I ice the area several times a day.
If you fell directly on your buttocks, and the leg did not go flying out to the side, you are probably going to eventually be fine. I would of course see the doctor about this.
Thanks for your quick reply! I did not fall on the buttocks, I landed on both of my feet straight (when going down, they were slightly flexed). I am going to see the doctor, but how “dangerous” is this kind of trauma from your point of view?
It totally depends on how hard you hit, but my bet is that you just inflamed and bruised the area.
Hi there,
I slipped on ice last winter and landed on the porch on my left side. Since then I’ve had pain around my left hip/thigh. It’s mostly concentrated around a point that’s about a couple of inches out and away from the tailbone (if you draw a straight line parallel to the floor from the tailbone) on the side of the left butt. I think the pain radiates from there into the lower left back and down the outside of the thigh.
A chiropractor suggested that I might have torn the hip labral tissue and should get a hip arthogram to find out. I’m rather leery of getting an arthogram as it might make my pain much worse and also because based on what I’ve read online that pain from a hip labral tear is mostly around the front near the groin; I rarely have pain around the groin. My pain is much worse in the morning (I sleep on the left side).
I was wondering if you’d have some thoughts to share given your experience with this: do you think it might be a torn labral tissue? If not, are there other things I should check out? I know it’s hard to evaluate w/o a full history but thought I’d check. I’m seeing a good PT & a chiropractor – the exercises have helped a bit, but I’m still a ways off from not being in pain.
Thanks so much!
If it happened last winter, something is up. Labral pathology will refer to that area. If your alignment is good (leg lengths equal etc. when lying down), then I would say at this point it would be a good idea to have the labrum checked out.
Hi there. I’m a 67 year old woman with a suspected labral tear, a pain I’ve had for about six months. I’m scheduled for an MRI in a week. I walk my dog twice a day although it’s painful at perhaps a level 6-7, but I’ve altered my route to avoid hills. My ortho told me to keep doing what I’ve been doing until we get MRI results but I’m concerned about doing more harm, plus worried about the stress I’m putting on the rest of my body as it compensates. I’ve developed quite a limp. My instincts tell me to stop walking until I have more information. What would you do? Thanks for your help.
Agreed. I would ramp down the walking for the reason that a large limp is likely to start causing lower back problems.
I was just wondering how to tell if you’ve messed up your repair. I’m about a week out from surgery and accidentally put weight on the leg (I started falling and it just happened) and I want to know what kind of pain I would be having if I did damage to the repair. Thanks!
MRI is the only sure-fire way to tell, but there is usually disproportionate / sharp pain that does not abate.
Hello, I am one week post op from having hip labrum tear repair. I walked without my crutches yesterday for the first time (against drs. orders) and now my entire right leg feels numb. Do you think I need to get another MRI or either X-rays? I strongly feel as though I may have re injured myself again.
I would talk to the doc about this. The numbness could be irritation of one or more of the nerves that travels down the leg, but that is not necessarily any indication of a re-tear. Take it easy in the mean time.
Hi. I am a 39 year old female, I had arthroscopic hip surgery 6 months ago for a labral tear. I’ve completed two full rounds of PT post op. I’m still having horrible pain in groin, Weird sensations in thigh, some numbness, limping and limited mobility. My leg feels as if it’s so tired after a short walk. I had a debridement of labrum and micro fracture. I continue to do my exercises at home with pain. I also have a huge cyst in bone that they could not reach to get rid of. I guess my question is would even more physical therapy help? At what point do you say OK this isn’t working? Thank you in advance.
By six months, you should have at least some notable improvement. I am wondering how much this cyst you are talking about is contributing to the groin pain. I would get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. I would also nix the PT and exercises for a good week or two to see if that calms things down. Limit your walking to what is necessary only.
Hi! I’m a 31 year old female and I’m 16 months post op from my third labral repair surgery on my left hip. My condition hasn’t improved and I just had what seems to be my millionth arthrogram and MRI. I don’t want another surgery, but I am constantly in pain. Do you have any type of strengthening information you can hand out or do you see patients? I’m in the military in Alaska, but I am going to be in Fort Meade, MD, for 4 weeks this OCT/NOV. I’m combing the internet for anything I can find to help and happen to come across your page. Appreciate in advance for all of the advice you are offering!
Ugh, sorry to hear that Balinda. It is possible that if you have appreciable muscle imbalances that doing certain types of exercises might help. Three surgeries on the same hip however is a lot. We would have to look at the operative reports and perform an evaluation to see what we are dealing with. If you are in town, feel free to contact us at 202-223-8500. Our hip specialist is named Dana Logan.
My 15 year old daughter has been dancing competitively for years on a Pom team and a Hip Hop team and after a year of pain we’ve discovered she has a tear in her Labrum requiring surgery. She is heartbroken and wants to know realistically if she’ll ever dance again. We have an appointment next week with the surgeon but she can’t wait another day to know.
p.s. it was our physical therapist that we had been seeing for back pain that discovered it was her hip and sent us to a hip doctor. I am grateful for PTs!
It is all a matter of how extensive the tear is, but at minimum I would say that if surgery is performed that will side-line her for up to one year?????
I am almost 9 months post op for a labral hip repair. I am on a college basketball team and started doing preseason training about a month ago. I have practice, conditonining and hip rehab everyday. At the beginning I felt sore from time to time but overall felt good about my movement. Each week I have had more pain and my movement has been worse (cuts slower jumping less high ect). Last week was my fourth week of this rigorous working out. I played 3v3 one day and after that practice my hip began to hurt a lot to the point where everyday things like walking to class hurt. I have taken 4 days off since then and been on Ibprofen around the clock and I still feel the same amount of pain. I am concerned because the pain and feeling I have right now is very similar to how my hip felt before surgery. I was wondering if this pain was normal at 9 months post op.
I would have the doc check it out. You may not be up to par in hip strength, which could cause some of what you are describing. I would stop practicing in the mean time.
Hi!
I am 23 years old and I am a nurse. I just started my job in early August. I have been having problems with my hip since May of this year and went to the Ortho Doctor today. They are suspecting a labrum tear and the doctor wants me to mentally prepare to have it surgically repaired. He did not talk about recovery time, but on average, how long will I be looking at being out of work? I’m scared to have the surgery since I am so new with the company I’m working for.
Thanks in advance!
I would guess that you would be not able to perform work activities for at least two months, possibly three.
Hey I’m a 24 year old female, had anthroscopic surgery for fai and labrum tear with three anchors 4 months ago, I’m in the military so I was pushed right back into lots of excersize and hip movements that I probably shouldn’t have been doing. I stopped doing any type of working out about a month ago because I started having severe pain again, now I still have it constantly. My hip feels like it’s popping in and out again and I have the exact same pain in my groin as I was before that goes down my thigh over to my mcl and when I try to rotate my hip it feels stuck and very painful or it makes a loud grinding noise. Do you think I either messed up the anchors or maybe Tore it in another spot?
I think that a trip to the doc is a good idea at this point. It is possible that there is something going on in the hip joint that would need to be diagnosed with imaging or an assessment.
Hi I am a 45 year old female with a labral tear in my right hip. I have a hard time sleeping at night for which I cannot get a pain free position. My ortho doc wanted me to try PT for 8 weeks to see if we could get by with no surgery. I am in my last week and for the last 2 weeks my hip has felt worse pain wise and has now started popping with some of the PT. My range of motion has gotten better but the pain is worse. If my doctor still doesn’t want to do surgery, should I seek a second opinion? I just want to not have to take pain meds the rest of my life. I also have RA and I think that is making the hip worse.
The RA might be quite a big deal. I would see a rheumatologist to see if this is having an effect on the hip. If it is, you would need to get that under control before making a final decision in regards to surgery. a second opinion never hurts by the way.
I am 17 years old and I recently had a surgery because i had a labral hip tear. For some reason the catching and popping I had before the surgery I associated with the pain, but I still have the popping and catching and I am wondering if that’s normal or if theres another issue. I don’t have paling with the popping and catching.
Pain is what I meant to say not pailing
Hello,
I had surgery to fix my hip labral tear as well as femoral derotation osteotomy a few weeks ago. Until a few days ago, I had no pain in my hip and was excited that my pre surgery pain was gone. I don’t remember doing anything but I suddenly had very similar pain in my hip again like I had from the torn labrum. Could I possibly have return it?
The only thing I can think of is that I might have stretched my leg a little farther then i am supposed too
Way too early to tell in my opinion. The hip muscles are super weak right now from the surgery, so it is quite possible that the head of the femur nudges against the socket and causes some clicking and / or pain.
Hi there,
My daughter who is 14 was just diagnosed with a Labral tear. She is an avid dancer will she be able to dance again? How long does it usually take to recover and return to normal activity? She has been dancing since she was 3 and plans to minor in it in college.
The answer to that question depends on a number of variables. The contour of the hip joint / socket has a lot to do with how these tears happen. The fact that she has a tear at that young age to me means that either the natural shape of her hip socket is not ideal, or her training regiment is very intense. I would try to find out which of those factors are at play here.
Surgery for someone that young would probably sideline her for at least 3-6 months.
Thank you so much!!!
Hi I am a 31 y/o male at 6 months post op for labral repair and fai surgery(cam) on left hip. I was doing well in therapy hit 4 months felt great. Now i am getting inner groin pain in my hip adductor area. I have ceased pt for the last 3 weeks and am a fireman getting ready to head back to work. Do you think stopping pt has caused my adductors to get tight causing pain? Sometimes i think it may be a hernia from the box squats they had me doing they were unbearable. I have also been diagnosed with the same problem on my opposite hip. It seems alot of times i have pressure in my pubic area as well. Just looking for help thanks
I would stay away from deep squats for the time being, it sounds like the CAM lesion site is brushing up against the rim of the hip socket. That may happen for a while. This unfortunately sounds like an effect of the way that your hip joints are shaped. The long term solution to this in my opinion is to avoid deep hip flexion as much as possible while having optimal strength in the glutes, hamstrings, hip muscles, etc..
I had right hip arthroscopic surgery, including arthroplasty and re anchoring of my labrum just over 2 months ago. This was due to FAI Pincer impingement. I started PT 5 days post-op. My hip area is still sore and sometimes feels a bit stiff. I awaken a lot at night due to discomfort. I sleep with a small firm knee pillow when I rotate onto my side (non-surgical side), but comfort in that position only lasts for so long. I also still have a hard and painful time doing the clamshell exercise on my side (surgical hip facing up). Is all of this normal or not 2 months post-op?
This is not unheard of. I would take this in baby steps. It may take another month or two for this to progress to a more full clamshell motion. Make sure that you are getting a day of rest in between your workouts as well!
Hi there, this is by far the most helpful and consistent thread I have found, so thank you for that! My name is Allison, I am 28 years old and I had my hip arthroscopy done a little less than two weeks ago. I had a labral repair resulting in two anchors and a capsular plication done to correct capsular laxity (he says this caused my labral tear). I have to say I am amazed by how well it went and I am feeling absolutely amazing! But here I am now, worried and stressed because at my first PT appointment (which was 6 days post op) I was given the okay to ditch the crutches which was a shock but a relief at the same time as I feel so limited with them. I felt a little unsure about the instruction they provided me with which consisted of external rotations (I was told to avoid those for 3-6 weeks) so I followed up with my surgeon asking if everything was okay to do. I of course want to be able to trust my team! Well I called on Monday and they told me they would ask the doctor and get back to me. I decided to give it a go without my crutches, which was surprisingly easy, and I had no pain. I of course was walking with a limp (small) and I’m moving pretty slow at this point. Long. Story short, took the doctor three days of me calling and following up to get a call back (which I received Thursday evening) when I was told I absolutely cannot go without crutches until I am cleared by him at the three week post op appointment and even then I might need to be on them longer given my procedure. Needless to say, I am a bit frustrated and feeling quite defeated as I feel like I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing or what my restrictions even are! He made it clear after surgery about external rotation, not going past 90 degrees when sitting, and absolutely no pivoting (that one is common sense to me), but he made it seem like the use of crutches and weight bearing restrictions were dependent upon the patient and procedure. He basically just told me there is no rush and not to worry about not doing enough. Here I am now worrying that I did too much! I know there was no immediate damage but I’m worried long-term as I have (now) read stories of scar tissue and necessary follow-up proceedures thought to be the result of premature full weight bearing. I’m just lost because I had no pain, some fatigue in the joint yes, but I wasn’t overdoing it and had even gotten to the point where I could go up the stairs normally. Should I be worried? Like I said, im just feeling defeated and feel a bit let down by my team due to the lack of communication and having limited knowledge on my restrictions. It’s difficult to force yourself to slow down when you don’t feel like you were even moving fast in the first place! Any thoughts or suggestions would be very much appreciated! Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
That ordeal does sound a bit frustrating. It is great however that you seem to be recovering so well. Keep in mind that the anchors can take up to six (6) weeks to heal into place. I would stick with the crutches until the MD follow up at three weeks, especially for longer distances. I have found that weaning off the crutches seems to work best. In terms of the conflicting reports from the PT and the doc, I would always err on the conservative side. Keep the external rotation within recommended limits, and keep your activity level in check despite feeling great. All in all it sounds like you have not damaged anything.
Thank you so very much! I will stick with them until my check up. I think I will also ask for the MD’s protocol and expectations as far as PT goes. That way I have an idea of what to expect and leave less room for confusion! It took a lot to get to this point. Last thing I want to do is mess it all up! I appreciate your help!
Hello, I had surgery yesterday on my right hip, debridement & a couple of anchors for the labrum. When I got home, I stood on my crutches, attempted to move but fell backwards. The nerve block made my leg totally dead and it caused me to lose balance and I fell on my butt, breaking my fall with my arms somewhat. I didn’t fall on the operated side but it was scary anyway. Later that night while trying to get to the toilet I fell again but I caught myself on the counter so
I didn’t really fall down, it was just a jerky movement. Could I have screwed up the repair and caused an anchor to come out? Would this be seen on an X-ray? I am barely able to walk on crutches but the nerve block is wearing off.
Ugh. Probably not based on what you described, but these falls will increase inflammation for the next week or two. I would not do much in terms of moving around until the nerve block is entirely worn off, as you definitely sound like a fall risk to me. Please let the doc know what is going on.
I’m 15 years old, in shape, and had surgery about 10 weeks ago. My PT has been going really good, but I’m only up to a mile and a half running right now. I had my tear for almost four years before being operated on and once in the OR, my doctor saw I have two tears in my right hip. I played in a soccer scrimmage for the first time today and expirenced some pain. I have soccer tryouts in 1 and 1/2 months. Do you think I should tryout?
Your timeline is a bit aggressive, and running at 10 weeks is a bit aggressive as well. I would ask your treating PT this same question, but my instinct is to say that it would be a bit too early for try outs.
Hi,
I have recently had hip arthoscopy and debriement surgery over 6 month ago on my right. My hip still clicking and popping and now severe pain right buttock and in the groin , should go back to my surgeon.
Thanks
Bobby
I would definitely see the ortho about this.
I had a a femoroplastly and labral tear repair 19 weeks ago, followed doctors orders, just finished up PT probably 3 weeks ago, and was told I could start to walk/jog on my own just at a slow pace and short distances. I was a runner before surgery. I’m still having pain though. It seems to come and go but the smallest thing can trigger it. Turning around, standing, anything and then I have groin pain for days. Last week I was standing in a store and went to turn around and felt a sharp pain in my groin area and it’s been hurting to walk ever since. Doc said use my crutches for about 24-48 hours and take ibuprofen but a week later and it still hurts.. I’m just wondering how long I’m going to have these set backs. I’ll think I’m doing better and then the pain comes back.. it’s frustrating. I’ve always been active but now I’m 26 and I feel like I can’t do anything without hip pain.
It depends on a multitude of factors, but from talking to docs and patients about this over the years it does seem like the magic number is about six (6) months where these types of issues abate. In the mean time I would make sure that you are getting a day of rest in between each exercise session. Too many people push the training thing too hard or for too many consecutive days. This can really mess up the time line, so be conservative.
Hi,
I am due to have hip labral surgery in December, About how long will it take for me to get back into running condition? I am in the Army and am required to take a Physical Fitness test every 6 months this involves a 2 mile run.
6-12 months before running to be conservative. Some younger and more fit people can do it quicker.
Hi. I am a 20 yr old female and have never had a consistent work out routine until the past couple of months (running on the treadmill 6 miles/weekly). I played soccer in high school and have ran in a few runs since then. A year ago I ran a half marathon and soon after both of my hips began “locking up” randomly. When this occurred it was painful but lasted 30 seconds and then I was fine. Within the past week the “locking up” is almost constant and I have terrible pains in my butt, lower back, and all the way down to my toes of my right leg. I have an appointment scheduled with ortho but it’s not until the end of November. Is it possible to have both labrals torn? The hip pain has been minor but for an entire year and the additional pain and consistency of the worsening hip pain have been going on for a week (specifically since I danced nonstop at my sisters wedding on the 10/7). I haven’t ran for 2 weeks and walking is a challenge now. If a labral tear is disngnosed would surgery be done on both sides at once?
The pain down to the toes is not typical of labral pathology. There might be something else going on here involving one of more of the lumbar nerve roots. It is improbable that both labrums would go at the same time. I would really let things quiet down for a few weeks, minimal walking and activity.
Hello,
I had labrum tear surgery on my right hip three years ago. I still experience pain and stiffness in the hip and groin every now and again. The pain is sometimes in the pubic bone area. My sides are tight and lower back is very stiff. It is annoying and I worry about what the future looks like. Sometimes I can go a while without pain but then it will flare up. My alignment will fall as well. Any thoughts on what can make this better. It is exhausting to feel so tight and in pain. Thank you!
When was the last time that you had your spinal, pelvic, and hip alignment looked at? I would find a very experienced PT in your area and have the “big picture” looked at with a fresh set of eyes. It does sound as if the hip is referring pain to other areas, but some of these issues that you describe might be alignment and muscle strength / length related.
Hi Dan.
55 year old male with two tears in right hip labrum.
Initial doctor appt was February of 2014.
After several trips to doctor, hernia suspected, impingement syndrome suspected.
MRI and x-rays showed tears.
Pain is never ending.
Scheduled appointment Tuesday with orthopedic surgeon.
Why should I expect.
Thank you.
He will likely suggest conservative management if that has not been done already. A round of PT might help with the mechanics of the hip. I would do that first, if no improvement then discuss injections next. Surgery should be the last option in my opinion.
In 2012 I had a misdiagnosis from which one ortho doctor (the doctor who replace my right knee) stated the pain I had in my left hip was bursitis. I received two steroid injections and this same doctor wouldn’t give me any more. Finally after all this, I get a MRI and they find a labral tear. Surgery was performed. I was not put on crutches at all. I fell the evening of my surgery from either pain or narcotics onto that hip (which was padded like a Bertha big-butt). I had my family call the doctors the next day and they said as long as there wasn’t fresh bleeding to just take it easy. I had an overall incision of about 7 inches and my whole hip and rear was bruised for weeks. Being a go-getter, I was doing my therapy and I do recall having the desire to steam clean a carpet, which I did within the first two-three weeks. I had trouble with pain and just kept pressing through. The doctor who performed the surgery to repair the tear, finally sent me to a doctor for pain management and dry needling. The end result was, the PT would work out the front knots in my upper thigh, I would get on a treadmill and walk a little incline and the knot would be back. Eventually I gave up with PT and the dry needling and just have lived with the mild pain.
The real story now jumps to present. In June 2017, I was riding my bike and felt a pull and had to stop. I did finish my ride because my husband was behind saying ” sack up buttercup”. So I did. I did this and walked for a few weeks for exercise, but hurt quite a bit. My pain symptoms were it hurt to lift my knee up to my navel, marching position, putting foot up to tie shoes, outward movements, clam shell. The primary pain source outside of the hip pain was a groin pain that hurt horribly.
I am very flexible at 56 up until recently could put both feet behind my head. I am not trying that now obviously, but just giving you a hint of joint movements.. In addition, I may add, I have always seemed to have a deep click inside my left hip when I extend my leg straight up in the air my and lower down to floor will feel a ‘clunk’. This doesn’t happen all the time, but definitely more than the right hip/leg.
I went to doctor finally in early August and they sent me to PT. I am going to be honest, I only went 6 times. I did work my PT exercises but could not continue to keep paying the co-pays. I went back to doctor a few weeks ago and they have ordered a MRI with contrast which I will have done in two more days. I am a 56 year old woman, was fairly active. Not the case now. I am worried I will have to have another surgery. My pain with the bike injury now makes a steady pain of about 4-6. As I stated, the pain never went away before so this is just another pain I have become accustomed to. Since my first surgery, I have not become allergic to NSAID’s and anti inflammatory are out of the question. I am lost as to what to do and the success of becoming pain free.
Thanks.
When you see the doctor in regard to the MRI, I would ask him / her about the level of degenerative changes in the hip. If the hip is moderately degenerative or worse, I would consider having the hip replaced. Just about everybody with whom I have worked in the past who had a hip replacement wished that they had done it sooner.
If you do not have significant degeneration in the hip, I would get a fresh set of eyes on the problem in terms of PT. Ask around and find the best, most experienced PT out there and schedule an evaluation.
needed a venting board and requesting a sounding board.
I have become allergic to NSAIDs, correction. And no, I can not put my feet behind my head simultaneously,. Not as flexible as I used to, but up close to the shoulder area and up to ear lobe mostly.
Hello, I had my laparoscopic repair to the acetabular labrum about two and a half years ago. Things were going great and I kept up with my exercises they they taught me in physical therapy. 9 months ago, however I had a baby and have honestly not been doing my exercises. A few months ago on a walk around my neighborhood it hurt to put weight on the repaired leg. It happened again today- I was being bent over the sink to brush my teeth and felt pain when I took my first step after turning away from the sink. The pain when bearing weight happened several more times today. Is it possible it is torn again or could this be due to my lack of exercise? I’m a 30 year old female and the initial cause of tear was most likely years of gymnastics. Thanks in advance. Any advice is appreciated until I can see my orthopedic surgeon in a few weeks.
It sounds like you are having some type of impingement where the femur is grazing the acetabulum when the hip is in a flexed position. I would avoid flexing the hip in the interim, which includes forward bending to excess. In a lot of these cases doing some specific strengthening will do the trick, but wait until you get some instruction on that.
Hey I had a labral tear repair with the surgeon pairing away part of the bone in March this year. I was really good post op meaning all my symptoms were coming from the tear. I went to physio until june.
September I slipped overstretching the affected leg. I had pain but the pain was made worse 1 week later when I worked at a festival I was standing for almost 10hours straight including twisting and bending. Over the last 5 weeks the pain has got worse and it is pretty constant.
The pain is almost exactly the same as what I had pre op.
I really appreciate someone’s help.
Ash
Id also like to add the clicking i had pre op is still there. Thanks
I would give the the opportunity to heal. Minimize your walking for at least a week or two. I realize that curbing the activity may be frustrating, but it is easy to continue to perpetuate the inflammation through walking. I do also think that letting the doc know what is going on is a good idea.
Thanks for your reply.
I’m due back to my physio in 2 weeks so I’ll get him to refer to my consultant if I’m still sore.
Ash
Hi,
I am one week post op having FAI / labral tear repaired. I am doing well with minimal pain and was instructed post op to go 50% weight bearing.
Where I do experience pain is sitting on the toilet. Now, I know I was told to not sit below 90 degrees but I definitely am when I go to the washroom. Is this a concern? Should I have bought a heightened toilet seat?
Also after my first PT session just going over isometrics, is it common to be very sore in the groin area?
Thank you for your help!
The toilet thing is a bit unavoidable unless if you get an elevated seat. The pain with isometrics is pretty typical I would say, just keep the isometrics light to start. Because the hip is in a weakened state, I would also give it a day to recover in between tiring out the muscles with exercises.
I had arthroscopic hip surgery (labral tear repair, FAI, cam lesion) on Sunday the 15th of October. i was on crutches for three weeks and recently began walking and WBAT (weight bearing as tolerated) over this past weekend. PT has been going well and i really don’t have any pain. However, this morning i began walking and i feel a “click” on the inside of my thigh. i am worried that i may have damaged my repair, but someone also suggested it could be a weak ligament sliding over and “popping”.
i would appreciate any
this is probably just a shifting or moving of a ligament or tendon. Remember that everything that surrounds the hip joint in terms of muscle is very weak right now, so there is not a lot of control yet. This makes it more likely for popping, shifting, etc..
feedback.
thank you,
ken
I am a 44 year old female, 7 weeks post op. I had hip arthroscopy to repair a labral tear and impingement in my left hip. There is arthritis present in the joint. I feel pretty good, started PT last week, and that’s going well. I am having a strange, somewhat painful sensation in my leg, just above and to the side of my left knee. It feels like nerve pain. Today I cannot even touch the area. Doc is “keeping an eye on it.” Is this normal? How long can I expect this to last?
I guess that depends on what is causing it. If the gluteal muscles are weak (which they likely are), the ITB (iliotibial band) which runs down the side of the thigh can become stiff and cause some friction along the lateral portion of the knee. It can be quite sharp and it is often tender to the touch.
The other possibility would be nerve pain referred down the leg from the hip or the lower back. With this type of pain you would not really be able to reproduce pain by touching it. It would feel perhaps more like a shooting pain. In this case I would have the PT start working on the lower back. Uneven weight bearing through the legs generally contributes to this type of problem.
Both of these problems can last a while because the root cause is either weakness and / or asymmetry. It usually takes at least 3-6 months to get normalized strength back in the hip musculature.
Thanks so much for your quick response! I will continue with the PT and keep getting stronger!
Hi July I am kamala! I haven’t met anybody that had a similar Procedure done. I read you similar surgery as mine so I wanted ask about your experience. Hope you mind!!
Hi I am 48 I had a hip orthoroscopyc surgery done in December 4th almost a month. My bearing was in 4th day my surgery. Therapy has being continued but I am a bolt of weird pain around the hip. And have pain on my Buttock runs down to my leg is that something I should aspect. And also I am very active Hiker and mountain climber will I bee able to that again?
I’m a 33 year old male who is going in for surgery to repair a hip labral tear in 9 days as a result of an automobile accident. I’m terrified as I’ve never had hip issues in my life and I am an avid runner. I can still run currently (up to 3 miles) but not long distances like I used to. What’re the chances I get back to running more than 5-6 miles at a time in the future and what’s the time table for this, typically?
I was 340 lbs in August of this year and committed to losing weight prior to surgery. I’m down 32 lbs. (308). Will this be tougher, being a bigger guy? I’m 6’1.
If this were me, I would not have as a goal running that type of mileage with this hip condition (although it is certainly possible to get there). I would long-term aim for a variety of cardio and resistance training. (Biking, elliptical, jogging, swimming, and weight training for example.)
The time table for return to running is realistically 6-12 months. Being on the heavier side will probably lengthen the time, but your age may shorten the time.
I am 35yrs old and 3.5 weeks post labral tear repair (anterior), bone shaving, bursectomy, teres ligament repair, chondral wave sign repair (chondroplasty??). Dr said that the op had delayed hip replacement by 10-15 yrs. without it, THR would have been 1-2 yrs away. I wasn’t even in that much pain before surgery!
I am still on crutches but weight bearing as tolerated and commenced PT one week ago. I am spending most of my time horizontal apart from my exercises.
Post surgery I was not told by ANYONE not to flex past 90 degrees (which I was bending over to put my shoes, pants on etc…). I was not told about avoiding sitting for more than a specified time. Even in hospital the nurses had me sitting up on a bed pan past 90 degrees flexion.
I developed a burning feeling in my groin (at the tear repair sight) at the commencement of physio at 2 weeks post op and I rang my Dr who told me that this is completely normal and would take time to settle. He also told me that I could do what I want as long as it doesn’t hurt. He was so laid back about it all and it frustrated me!!. I have since found out that my initial Physio wasn’t following protocol and found another physio that has given me good guidance but I am concerned that I have done something to damage the repair. It’s not sharp pain, just burning that comes and goes in the groin. Like before I had the surgery.
I have 3 small children and was told pre surgery that I’d be on crutches for two weeks and back to normal by 3 months. I clearly feel frustrated and misled. I can’t even work my office job.
I’m going to Fiji for the trip of a lifetime (I’ve dreamt of it since I was 8yrs old). It will be 4.5 months post surgery and I was hoping to be well by then. Reading these posts scare me.
I’m currently doing core exercises, 10 mins stationary bike, QF activation exercises etc.
Can you provide me with any reassuring advice? When can I expect to have my life back. This is not what I signed up for. Does is sound like I have damaged the repair?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
It does not sound to me like you have done any damage to the repair site, however this does sound like a lot of surgical work was done. The supporting muscles are very weak right now from the swelling and inflammation, so the head of the femur is not controlled particularly well. That will slowly get better.
My guess is that you will be appreciably better than you are now by the time you go to Fiji. Will you be running around at 4.5 months, probably not.
Thanks so much for responding.
I turned my hip the wrong way in bed on Saturday and it hurts even more now. I’m back on the Mobic and pain meds and back on two crutches……
Drs need to tell people what to expect, but if they did, no one would go through with the surgery!
If things heal up gradually, let’s hope that your opinion will change in 2018. Hang in there!
I am In the same boat, I had this surgery 4 1/2 weeks ago and it has truly been a life changing experience! It’s awful! My pain in through the roof , I have one or two days that’s it’s tolerable, then I’m bed ridden for an entire day!!! I wish I knew what I was getting into before I had this done, I wouldn’t have done it! I have to keep telling myself, it will get better, months from now, not days from now! My heart goes out to you, my children are grown, but I have a 21 month old granddaughter that comes over a lot, it’s so challenging when she’s here…. good luck to you and your journey!
Linda!! We could cry together. I had surgery mid December. MOnday will be 7 weeks post op and I feel like I’m going backwards. I take a couple of steps and I get this awful pinching stabbing pain at the very top of my leg. I don’t think I have the pain that I had presurgery anymore; hard to tell cuz I can’t walk normally yet, but I almost think I’d rather put up with the pain I had daily than this! I just want to walk! I can’t shop, I can’t park very far away (shoulda got a temp handicap sticker!) it sucks so bad. I’m a very mobile person so this is killing me. ONe morning I’ll feel like it’s gonna be a good day, like you say, and then by the end of the day I’m dying and have to stay laying down the next day. So frustrated.
First problem I had with the labrum surgery was not getting a pre-op briefing from the surgeon about post-op symptoms. I wear hip brace for two weeks and did my exercises but I had tremendous back and hip pain and I didn’t have surgery for 7 months due to complications getting referral from my primary care manager it was one big Fiasco. The biggest thing for me was trying to start bearing my weight on the left leg after surgery and after walking on a bad labrum / / 7 months both my hips are out of alignment and my lower back. I’m 7 weeks out of surgery and I can still barely walk on my left leg and it’s very painful to either sit and stand for any length of time and I still have shooting pains into my abdomen and my lower back 7 weeks after surgery
I am 8 weeks after surgery i still can’t walk without pain!! I am afraid I may never feel better!
Hi I am kamala! I had also very similar Procedure as yours 3.5 weeks a go on my right hip and I am fixing go crazy around my hip and growing area still hurts. At first they told me i couldn’t put weight on my right side for 3 weeks but next day of surgery i was told i could put %50 of weight bearing and 3 days after surgery therapist told me my weight bearing was Tolerated.here I am almost a month I still have to take pain meds 3 times a day. I can walk without walker! If I try to walk without walker I feel like I am 9 month old baby!!
Hi Dan, I’ve had FAI reshaping on both hips and both labrums were debrided during those surgeries. I recovered incredibly quickly from both (back to 100% within a couple of months)
It looks like I may need another labral debridement unfortunately, in a different spot. Should I expect an even faster recovery if no bone shaving happens with this surgery? Reading so many negative experiences from other patients worries me and makes me wonder if my surgeries were freak coincidences
It is great that your recoveries went so quickly. Typically, a second surgery will take bit longer to recover from, but you do have the variable of having less done. I would go into it with the expectation that it may take a bit longer. It is always a good idea to take your time with these procedures in terms of activity.
I am POD #4 for a r hip athroscopy for a labral tear and impingement. As of today I’m feeling like I have more pain and discomfort in my non operative left hip. Is this normal? Is it common to have this condition in both hips?
I am on crutches and am ttwb on my r lower extremity.
You are dumping most of your weight on the unaffected side, so it does not surprise me that the left side feels the way that it does. If you did not have pain in the left hip before the surgery, I doubt that you tore the labrum. That should iron out as you are allowed to equalize your weight.
I am a 17 year old female and I have a torn labrum. They are gonna do surgery on it on the 13th of December. I would like to know how long I should stay out of school. I go on christmas break on the 21st of December will I be able to go to school before break or no? Also I want to know how long it will be till i can drive. Any advice would be nice.
I would probably take the time off between surgery and winter break. That (in conjunction with winter break) should give you a good amount of time for healing. The driving may take a month????, it kind of depends on what the doctor’s orders are. Some patients are not allowed to place any weight on the leg for up to 3-4 weeks. I would ask the doc about that.
Yes I cannot put weight on it for a couple weeks they said. I start therapy the day after my surgery and im going to it 3 times a week. Also I am a cheerleader and I am wondering if ill be able to join back in over the summer and im also in color guard for marching band if i could join back in in that over the summer,
Given your age and fitness level I would expect you to be back at cheering by summer.
Well that being said they said i do have hip dysplasia whatever that means. is it still okay to do everything because my hips are not fully developed and my growth plates are closed. sorry for all the questions. I scheduled this appointment back in August so I have had questions to ask since its getting closer to surgery date.
That is a question for the PT to answer once you are finishing rehab. It depends on strength, mobility, etc..
I am currently 4 weeks post op of my 2nd labram repair on my right hip. 1st surgery, doc didn’t shave my femur enough and it caused another tear. 2nd surgery this new Dr said he had to redo everything 1st doc did. Take out anchors, clean up labrum and shaved femur properly. What I have noticed is the day after or even hours after physical therapy, I have the sharp pain in my groin like I did prior to surgery. Doc said it could be scar tissue. Is that possible or am I over doing it in PT? If it’s scar tissue, then should I be doing more in PT? I’m very confused.
Shaving of the femoral head can result in quite a bit of groin pain. This can take months to calm down. I wouldn’t be too concerned about that at this point. To be safe I would keep the PT at a mild to moderate level of effort and tolerance. Back off from any aggressive stretching for a week or two.
I had an open hip osteoplasty a year ago on my left hip. I had my screws taken out in September because my hip was aching a lot of the time. I still experience pain and cannot lay on the incision site. Is this normal? I thought I would be over it all within a year. I have to have the same surgery on the right side, but I am putting it off because I do not want to go through this journey again.
I have heard of that happening. Is the scar sensitive? If so, you can work on having the scar desensitized and the surrounding tissue worked on. A good PT or massage therapist should be able to help you with that.
The screw removal should also take several months (at least) to recover from. It may still take some time for that bone to fill in and for the strength to improve.
I had labral repair last December and it is starting to hurt again just like before. Does this surgery normally need to be repeated often? I haven’t even started running again due fear of injuring it again. I do work at a desk and keeping it bent is a struggle. It also almost feels like it gets caught up when I start to walk.
This sounds like it might possibly be a mechanical problem? I would see a good PT about this. If the glut max muscle is weak, the hamstrings can become dominant and the head of the femur can “pinch” the front of the hip socket, among other things. It is worth having it checked out.
I was in an auto accident a year ago, and have a labrum tear in my left hip. I also have damaged my left knee with torn ligaments. the doctor says that arthritis is setting in my left hip as well.
my pain is very significant I click and pop in my knee when standing up from sitting. my hip feels like it locks on me from time to time. what should be done to find relief?
I am recovering from cervical fusion surgery now of C3 thru C7
I would do conservative management if you have not already. Physical therapy for the knee and hip sounds like a good idea. I would get that strengthened up as much as possible and then see how things are going after that.