What happens if a labrum tear goes untreated in the hip?

If a labral tear is left untreated, it will lead to ongoing and worsening pain. A normal labrum is important to the normal function of the hip joint. A torn labrum leads to cartilage damage and eventual arthritis of the hip joint.

Can you live with a torn hip labrum?

Simply put, a hip labral tear will not heal without surgical treatment. However, many less severe hip labral tears can be managed for years, sometimes even indefinitely, with nonsurgical treatment.

How long can you have a torn hip labrum?

However, it can take them up to nine months to get back to their hundred percent. But remember that every patient has a unique injury, so one hip labral tear condition may take longer to heal than the other.

Can you make a torn hip labrum worse?

If you have a hip labral tear, hip pain or discomfort may get worse when you bend, move or rotate the hip, or exercise or play sports.

Can you live without hip labrum surgery?

Fortunately, most hip labral tears can be effectively treated without surgery. Depending on the severity of the injury, a hip labral tear can be a serious condition, leading to joint instability and the possibility of future injuries down the road.

Hip Labral Tear: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Is hip labrum surgery worth it?

Surgery is not always required or recommended for a labrum tear. A person's age, the extent of the injury, and overall hip health are factors to consider. Surgery is not typically recommended for people ages 40 and up. This is because a hip labrum tear is often an early sign of arthritis.

What happens if you don't fix labrum?

Without proper treatment and physical rehabilitation, SLAP injuries can cause chronic stiffness, pain, and weakness in the affected arm. Many labral tears can also lead to joint degeneration, which will just cause you more pain in the long run.

Can you still walk with a hip labral tear?

Pain in the front of the hip or groin resulting from a hip labral tear can cause an individual to have limited ability to stand, walk, climb stairs, squat, or participate in recreational activities.

What does a severe hip labral tear feel like?

Hip labral tear symptoms include: Pain in the hip, groin or buttocks, especially as you walk or run, and sometimes at night when you sleep. Hip stiffness or limited range of motion. A clicking or locking sensation in the hip joint when you move.

What aggravates a hip labral tear?

Many patients with labral tears describe a constant dull pain with intermittent episodes of sharp pain that worsens with activity. Walking, pivoting, prolonged sitting, and impact activities, such as running, often aggravate symptoms.

Can a hip labral tear be debilitating?

When the labrum tears, it can cause pain and hip instability. A torn labrum also increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the hip, a painful and potentially debilitating condition. Fortunately, treatments are available for hip labral tears, including nonsurgical and surgical options.

Will a cortisone shot help a torn hip labrum?

A shot of cortisone (steroid) will not heal a torn hip labrum. It may relieve pain in the hip for days, weeks, or sometimes months, but it does not have a long-lasting benefit. Some patients may overuse a torn labrum in the hip following pain relief, leading to further damage over time.

How long do you stay in the hospital after hip labral tear surgery?

You will be under general anesthesia, and will likely spend 2-5 days in the hospital. During the 2 to 3-hour operation, your surgeon may temporarily dislocate the femoral head from the hip socket.

Can you avoid surgery with a torn labrum?

If the labrum requires rebuilding or if the labral rupture/tear was caused by an underlying structural problem, surgery is typically the best option. Not all hip labral tears, however, need surgery. Physical therapy and strengthening exercises can frequently help patients avoid surgery.

Is hip labrum surgery painful?

Generally, you'll experience some hip discomfort during recovery. This discomfort may also be experienced in your buttock, lower back, ankle and knee. We can use appropriate pain medication to reduce the discomfort.

Can you squat with a torn hip labrum?

It's a pretty good rule of thumb that squatting is either not recommended or recommended to be heavily modified for athletes who are having hip labrum issues. This is because of the high degree of hip flexion during the squat - or where the knees come closer to the chest - can cause some major problems in the hip.

Can a hip labral tear radiate down the leg?

Symptoms of a labral tear: Pain from a hip labral tear is most often felt near the groin in the front of the hip. Sometimes, patients will feel pain at the side and behind the hip joint, and this pain may radiate down the thigh.

Why is a hip labral tear so painful?

Why is a labral tear so painful? The labrum contains nerve endings that can stimulate pain fibers, which can cause pain in the hip region.

Does a labral tear hurt all the time?

In most cases, a labrum SLAP tear doesn't hurt all the time. The pain usually happens when you use your shoulder to do a task, especially an overhead activity. You may also notice: A catching, locking, or grinding feeling.

Can a hip labral tear heal with physical therapy?

Physical therapy and exercise can help speed your recovery from a hip labral tear. Therapists at NYU Langone's Rusk Rehabilitation can help you to rebuild muscle in your thighs, back, and buttocks while improving flexibility and increasing the range of motion in your hip.

Where do you feel pain with a hip labral tear?

Many hip labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. Some people, however, have one or more of the following: Pain in the hip or groin, often made worse by long periods of standing, sitting or walking or athletic activity. A locking, clicking or catching sensation in the hip joint.

What does hip labrum pain feel like?

Hip labral tear symptoms can include: Deep groin pain or pain in the buttocks on the side of the injured hip. A feeling or sound of clicking or locking when your hip is in motion. Hip pain, especially while it rotates in certain directions.

Can you live with a torn labrum?

Do You Need Surgery to Repair a Torn Labrum? Most often, the answer is No! There are many conservative treatment options that allow you to fully participate in your activities without requiring surgery.

Is surgery the only option for a torn labrum?

If the labrum is frayed, usually no treatment is necessary since it doesn't usually cause symptoms. However, if there is a large tear of the labrum, the torn part should either be cut out and trimmed, or it should be repaired.

Can a partially torn labrum get worse?

When this happens, the labral tissue may start to tear. If the tear gets worse, it may become a flap of tissue that can move in and out of the joint, getting caught between the head of the humerus and the glenoid. The flap can cause pain and catching when you move your shoulder.