
Surgery for Hip Labral Tears
- Hip Arthroscopy. In hip arthroscopy, a surgeon accesses the hip joint through very small incisions, minimizing damage to nearby muscle and other soft tissue.
- Surgical Hip Dislocation. ...
- Labral Reconstruction. ...
- Periacetabular Osteotomy. ...
What is the best way to heal a labrum tear?
- Begin by looping a resistance band around the outside of each ankle
- Stand up straight and holding the upper body steady, lift one leg up and as far to the side as possible
- Pause and return to the original position
- If needed, support yourself with a sturdy object such as a chair or a dowel
- Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Will a torn labrum heal on its own?
labrum: A torn labrum can heal on its own, but unfortunately this is not a guarantee. More commonly, the labral tear can become less symptomatic with time, u... Read More
What is the recovery time for a labral tear without surgery?
Doctors will either remove the torn part of the labrum or simply sew the labrum back together. The patient will remain on crutches for 2 to 6 weeks. During this time, physical therapy will be used to regain strength and range of motion in the joint. Usually patients are pain free anywhere from 2 to 6 months.
Can labral tears heal on their own?
Labral tears typically do not heal on their own, so you should have them treated both to prevent arthritis and to improve painful symptoms. There are several different treatment options that could be used, depending on the cause and severity of your condition. Some minor labral tears can be treated without surgery.

Can a torn labrum heal on its own?
Can a Labral Tear Heal on Its Own? Yes, a labral tear can heal on its own without surgery. For non-athletes, treatment can often be anti-inflammatory medication, injections, and physical therapy.
How do you repair a torn labrum?
Surgical and other procedures Depending on the cause and extent of the tear, the surgeon might remove the torn piece of labrum or repair the torn tissue by sewing it back together. Complications of surgery can include infection, bleeding, nerve injury and recurrent symptoms if the repair doesn't heal properly.
Can labral tears heal without surgery?
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 does it take to heal from a labrum tear surgery?
How Long Does Hip Labral Tear Recovery Take? After a hip labral tear surgery, most patients spend four months in one-on-one physical therapy sessions and can then ease back into their everyday activities subsequently. However, it can take them up to nine months to get back to their hundred percent.
How serious is a torn labrum?
The labrum runs from there around the joint, both in an anterior and in a posterior direction. Due to injury in this area where the biceps tendon attaches, the labrum also can get injured. The injury in this area can be mild or it can be severe.
How painful is a torn labrum?
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.
What happens if a labral tear goes untreated?
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.
What happens if you don't repair a torn labrum?
A Bankart lesion is damage to the labrum, joint capsule, and shoulder ligaments that occurs during a traumatic shoulder dislocation. If left untreated, this may lead to chronic or recurrent shoulder instability, pain, and weakness.
Is walking good for labral tear?
Movements like standing and walking might actually feel better when you have a torn labrum, depending on the location of the tear.
Is labrum surgery a major surgery?
Labrum repair is major surgery with serious risks and potential complications. You may have less invasive treatment options.
How do you treat a shoulder labral tear without surgery?
Nonsurgical Treatment for Shoulder Labral TearsRest, Pain Medication, and Ice. Your doctor may recommend that you rest your shoulder, allowing time for a torn labrum to heal. ... Physical or Occupational Therapy. ... Corticosteroid Injections. ... Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections.
How long are you in a sling after labrum surgery?
Expect to wear a sling for 4-6 weeks. This sling should be worn at all times including while you sleep unless otherwise directed by your doctor. The sling may be removed for bathing and to do prescribed exercises that your physical therapist will teach you.
Is labrum surgery a major surgery?
Labrum repair is major surgery with serious risks and potential complications. You may have less invasive treatment options.
How painful is labrum repair surgery?
You will be in pain, and although you can mask that pain with pain medications, you may discover that doing so prevents you from taking care of your responsibilities. Your doctor will give you a sling, which he or she will advise you to wear for anywhere between two and four weeks.
What happens if a labral tear goes untreated?
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.
What is the shoulder labrum?
The labrum is a cup-shaped rim of cartilage that lines and reinforces the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder.
What does a torn shoulder labrum feel like?
The most common symptoms of a torn shoulder labrum are: shoulder pain, instability and, in some cases, a feeling of grinding, locking or catching w...
What are the different types of shoulder labral tears?
The two most common types of labral injuries are SLAP (superior labrum from anterior to posterior) tears and Bankart tears. Both types of tears are...
Can labral tears of the shoulder be prevented?
Unfortunately, labral tears are hard to prevent, especially in throwing sport athletes, because the force of overhead motion contributes to the inj...
Can a shoulder labral tear heal without surgery?
In some cases, the labrum can heal with rest and physical therapy, depending on the severity of the tear.
When do you need surgery for a torn shoulder labrum?
Surgery may be required if the tear gets worse or does not improve after physical therapy.
What is the recovery time for shoulder labrum repair surgery?
Patients who undergo arthroscopic repair can expect shorter recovery times and less pain. Those undergoing open surgery should expect more pain, lo...
How long does it take to heal labrum?
Treatment depends on how severe your symptoms are. Some people recover with conservative treatments in a few weeks ; others need arthroscopic surgery to repair or remove the torn portion of the labrum.
Can labral tear be seen in isolation?
A hip labral tear rarely occurs in isolation. In most cases, other structures within the hip joint also have injuries. X-rays are excellent at visualizing bone. They can check for fractures and for structural abnormalities.
How to tell if you have a labrum tear?
The most common symptoms of a torn shoulder labrum are: shoulder pain, instability and, in some cases, a feeling of grinding, locking or catching while moving the shoulder. These symptoms may vary depending on the type of labral tear a person has.
Why does the labrum cause instability?
This in turn creates instability because the breached labrum makes it easier for the shoulder to dislocate again. A dislocation where the head of the humerus shifts toward the front of the body, it leads to what is called "anterior instability.".
What is Bankart tear?
Bankart tears. Bankart tears typically occur in younger patients who have dislocated their shoulder. When the shoulder joint ball slips out of the socket, the joint capsule (fiberous tissues that surround and protect the joint) can pull on the lower portion of the labrum and tear it.
What are the two most common types of labral injuries?
The two most common types of labral injuries are SLAP (superior labrum from anterior to posterior) tears and Bankart tears. Both types of tears are usually accompanied by aching pain and difficulty performing normal shoulder movements.
What happens when a Bankart tear is slipped?
When the ball slips toward the back of the body, it leads to "posterior instability. ". With Bankart tears, patients may feel apprehension that the shoulder may slip out of place or dislocate in certain positions.
What is the labrum of the shoulder?
The labrum is a cup-shaped rim of cartilage that lines and reinforces the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder. The shoulder joint is composed of the glenoid (the shallow shoulder "socket") and the head of the upper arm bone known as the humerus (the "ball").
What is the process of popping a shoulder back into place?
If the injury is a minor Bankart tear with a dislocation, the physician (or even a team coach or patient themselves) can usually pop the shoulder back into place – a process called reduction – and then follow up with physical therapy to strengthen the muscles.
How to diagnose a labrum tear?
Diagnosing a labrum tear involves a physical examination and most likely an MRI, CT scan and/or arthroscopy of the shoulder. Treatment varies depending on type, severity and location of the labrum tear.
How long does it take for a labrum to heal?
It is believed that it takes at least four to six weeks for the labrum to reattach itself to the rim of the bone, and probably another four to six weeks to get strong.
What is the difference between labrum and articular cartilage?
When this type of cartilage starts to wear out (a process called arthritis), the joint becomes painful and stiff. The labrum is a second kind of cartilage in the shoulder, which is distinctly different from the articular cartilage.
What is the labrum of the shoulder?
What You Need to Know. The shoulder labrum is a thick piece of tissue attached to the rim of the shoulder socket that helps keep the ball of the joint in place. The labrum can tear a few different ways: 1) completely off the bone, 2) within or along the edge of the labrum, or 3) where the bicep tendon attaches.
Which muscle attaches to the labrum?
The other structure that attaches to the labrum is the tendon of the biceps muscle . The biceps muscle is the muscle on the front of the arm which gets firm with bending the elbow. While this muscle is quite large, it turns into a small tendon about the size of a pencil that attaches inside the shoulder joint.
Why is it difficult to predict how soon someone can return to sports after a labrum repair?
Because of the variability in the injury and the type of repair done , it is difficult to predict how soon someone can to return to sports and activities after the repair. The type of sport also is important, since contact sports have a greater chance of injuring the labrum repair.
Where is the labrum located?
The labrum is a type of cartilage found in the shoulder joint. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint where the arm meets the body. The arm bone (humerus) forms a ball at the shoulder that meets the socket, which is part of the shoulder blade. These two bones are connected by ligaments — tough tissues forming tethers that hold ...
What is hip labral tear?
Orthopedic surgeons have become better at understanding sources of pain, and technology has increased our ability to diagnose conditions that previously went undetected. One source of hip and groin pain that is being diagnosed much more commonly is called a hip labral tear .
Why is the hip labrum flexible?
1 . The hip labrum, like other types of cartilage, tends to have problems healing from injury.
What is hip surgery?
Arthroscopic hip surgery is an outpatient surgical procedure that is often performed under general anesthesia. Your surgeon places a small television camera with an attached light source into the hip joint, and through a separate small incision can place instruments to address hip labral tears.
When was the first hip labral surgery performed?
The first arthroscopic hip surgeries took place in the 1980s and it has become a routinely performed surgical procedure today. Between 1999 and 2009, arthroscopic surgery of the hip joint increased 18-fold, ...
Can a labral tear be arthroscopic?
Most importantly, labral tears are often seen in the setting of other damage to the hip joint including arthritis and bone spurs. A labral tear in the setting of arthritis of the hip is nothing like a labral tear as an isolated injury. 3 . When surgery is considered for a hip labral tear, the most common way to address this is through arthroscopic ...
Is every labral tear the same?
Not every labral tear is the same, and the treatment of labral tears can differ significantly. 1 Furthermore, patients come in many types with different expectations for recovery and different interest levels in various treatments.
Does hip labral tear need surgery?
As is the case with many emerging surgical procedures, hip arthroscopy included, orthopedic surgeons are continually improving the understanding of which patients are most likely to benefit, and which are not, from surgical intervention. It is clear that not every individual who has a hip labral tear needs arthroscopic hip surgery.
How to recover from labrum tear?
Most people recover fully from labrum tears and go back to normal activities.
Why is it so hard to diagnose labrum tears?
Labrum tears can be hard to diagnose because the cartilage lies deep in the shoulder, a complicated part of the anatomy. Your doctor will do a physical exam and may order imaging studies, including an MRI or a simple surgical procedure called arthroscopy.
Why is Bankart tear more common than SLAP tear?
Surgery is more common for Bankart tears than SLAP tears because of the increased risk of another dislocation. The surgeon will remove damaged parts of the labrum or, if it is completely torn away, they will insert a small anchor in the bone and sew small stitches to reattach the cartilage to it.
How to treat Bankart tear?
Treatment is similar to a SLAP injury and includes: Rest and a sling or brace. Anti-inflammatory medicine. Physical therapy. When a Bankart tear heals, the position of the cartilage may not be perfect and the shoulder can be prone to another dislocation.
What is the labrum in the shoulder?
The labrum is a piece of cartilage in your shoulder joint that lines the cup where the ball of the long arm bone rests. It helps make the shoulder stable, but it is susceptible to tears in people who often use their arm for overhead motions, such as tennis or baseball players. Older people whose cartilage is more brittle can also damage the labrum.
How long does it take for a slap tear to heal?
Treatment often includes: You can expect it to take 6 to 8 weeks for the labrum to reattach to the bone, and 3 to 6 more months of physical therapy to strengthen the area. ...
How long does it take for a labrum to reattach?
You can expect it to take 6 to 8 weeks for the labrum to reattach to the bone, and 3 to 6 more months of physical therapy to strengthen the area. Exercises begin with gentle, assisted range of motion movements, eventually followed by rotating and strengthening exercise for your shoulder joint and shoulder blade.
