Conditions and Symptoms: Hip Arthroscopy
When patients experience hip pain, they may think they need a joint replacement. However, many patients who have damage to their hips do not require a total hip replacement—instead a procedure called hip arthroscopy can repair the damage and avoid a larger, more invasive procedure.
If you have hip pain with minimal to moderate arthritis, you may be an excellent candidate for a hip arthroscopy.
Hip Symptoms
Patients will typically complain of the following symptoms:
- Hip pain
- Joint tightness (loss of motion in the joint)
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of strength
Hip Conditions
The typical hip conditions that lead to a recommendation for hip arthroscopy include:
- Labral tears—torn cartilage deep inside the hip joint can cause symptoms
- Femoroacetabular impingement or FAI—this causes too much friction in the hip joint and leads to loss of cartilage and labral tears
- Loose bodies—these are pieces of cartilage that have torn away from the joint. They can look like marbles floating around the joint.
Evaluation for Hip Arthroscopy
In order to determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure, our surgeons will want to:
- Perform a clinical examination
- Review your X-rays and MRIs
- Discuss possible alternatives like physical therapy, injections and pain management
If your surgeon determines you are a good candidate for hip arthroscopy, you will want to learn more about hip arthroscopy.
