Hip Arthroscopy
Definition
Hip arthroscopy is surgery that is done by making small cuts around your hip and looking inside using a tiny camera. Other medical instruments may also be placed inside to fix your hip.
Alternative Names
Arthroscopy - hip; Hip impingement syndrome - arthroscopy; Femero-acetabular impingement - arthroscopy; FAI - arthroscopy; Labrum - arthroscopy
Description
During arthroscopy of the hip, the surgeon uses a tiny camera to see inside your hip.
An arthroscope is made up of a tiny tube, a lens, and a light source. The surgeon will look inside your hip joint for damage or disease. Only a small surgical cut is made.
Other medical instruments may also be inserted through one or two other small surgical cuts. This allows the surgeon to treat or fix certain problems, if needed.
Using these tools, your surgeon will remove extra pieces of bone that are loose in your hip joint, or fix cartilage or other tissues that may be damaged.
Indications
The most common reasons for hip arthroscopy are to:
- Remove small pieces of bone or cartilage that may be floating around inside your hip joint and causing pain
- Repair a torn labrum (a tear in the cartilage that is attached to the rim of your hip socket bone)
Less common reasons for hip arthroscopy are:
- Hip impingement syndrome (also called femero-acetabular impingement, or FAI), when no other treatment has helped.
- Hip pain that does not go away and your doctor suspects a problem that hip arthroscopy can fix. Most of the time, your doctor will first inject numbing medicine into the hip to see if the pain goes away.
If you do not have one of these problems, hip arthroscopy will probably not be useful for treating your hip arthritis.
References
Miller MD, Hart J. Surgical principles. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 2.
Review Date: 8/12/2011
Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Alternative Names
Arthroscopy - hip; Hip impingement syndrome - arthroscopy; Femero-acetabular impingement - arthroscopy; FAI - arthroscopy; Labrum - arthroscopy
Expectations after surgery
Whether you fully recover after hip arthroscopy depends on what type of problem was treated.
If you also have arthritis in your knee, you will still have arthritis symptoms after hip surgery.
Before You Have the Procedure
Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription.
During the 2 weeks before your surgery:
- You may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
- Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
- Tell your doctor if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a day.
- If you smoke, try to stop. Ask your doctor for help. Smoking can slow down wound and bone healing.
On the day of your surgery:
- You will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything for 6 to 12 hours before the procedure.
- Take the drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
- Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.
Convalescence
After surgery, you will be asked to use crutches for 2 - 6 weeks.
- During the first week, you should not place any weight on the side that had surgery.
- After that, you will slowly be allowed to place more and more weight on the hip that had surgery.
You should be able to return to work within 1 to 2 weeks if you can sit most of the time.
You will be referred to physical therapy to begin an exercise program.
References
Miller MD, Hart J. Surgical principles. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 2.
Review Date: 8/12/2011
Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Alternative Names
Arthroscopy - hip; Hip impingement syndrome - arthroscopy; Femero-acetabular impingement - arthroscopy; FAI - arthroscopy; Labrum - arthroscopy
Risks
The risks for any anesthesia are:
The risks for any surgery are:
Other risks from this surgery include:
Bleeding into the hip joint
Damage to the cartilage or ligaments in the hip
Injury to a blood vessel or nerve
Infection in the hip joint
Hip stiffness
References
Miller MD, Hart J. Surgical principles. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 2.
Review Date: 8/12/2011
Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Review Date: 8/12/2011
Reviewed By: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.