Torn Hip Labrum

[bluebear]

Does anyone have any experience either dealing with or treating this? I'm a semi-serious triathlete and I've been battling hip pain for about 6 months. I finally stopped running and biking completely about 6 weeks ago after an MRI showed a labrum tear. I'm scheduled for surgery on Friday and starting to get a little nervous. I rushed into the surgery decision with the goal of being able to get back training as quickly as possible. My surgeon who is pretty reputable presented me with a pretty conservative rehab plan with no running for 6 months. From what I've read though there seems to be a huge range for recovery time with some saying they were running in 3 months and others still unable to resume normal training a year later. Hoping someone might have some insight in terms of what to expect. I guess my biggest worry is that surgery might prevent long term hip decompensation but I'll be no better off in terms of activity level post op.

[Jim3k]

Don't rush it. Re-injury is not worth it. You don't want a re-do and if you did that, there might be less tissue for the second surgery to repair, hence a weaker joint than you could have had.

[hughgs]

Does anyone have any experience either dealing with or treating this? I'm a semi-serious triathlete and I've been battling hip pain for about 6 months. I finally stopped running and biking completely about 6 weeks ago after an MRI showed a labrum tear. I'm scheduled for surgery on Friday and starting to get a little nervous. I rushed into the surgery decision with the goal of being able to get back training as quickly as possible. My surgeon who is pretty reputable presented me with a pretty conservative rehab plan with no running for 6 months. From what I've read though there seems to be a huge range for recovery time with some saying they were running in 3 months and others still unable to resume normal training a year later. Hoping someone might have some insight in terms of what to expect. I guess my biggest worry is that surgery might prevent long term hip decompensation but I'll be no better off in terms of activity level post op.

I'm not sure I would trust a surgeon to set my physical therapy schedule. Why don't you take the rehab plan to a reputable physical therapist and have them agree or tweak it? I've been rehabbing my shoulder for a couple of months and my therapy changes depending on how I progress.

[Greg_Newton]

Does anyone have any experience either dealing with or treating this? I'm a semi-serious triathlete and I've been battling hip pain for about 6 months. I finally stopped running and biking completely about 6 weeks ago after an MRI showed a labrum tear. I'm scheduled for surgery on Friday and starting to get a little nervous. I rushed into the surgery decision with the goal of being able to get back training as quickly as possible. My surgeon who is pretty reputable presented me with a pretty conservative rehab plan with no running for 6 months. From what I've read though there seems to be a huge range for recovery time with some saying they were running in 3 months and others still unable to resume normal training a year later. Hoping someone might have some insight in terms of what to expect. I guess my biggest worry is that surgery might prevent long term hip decompensation but I'll be no better off in terms of activity level post op.

Whoa. Weird. I was literally just googling this (bottom of this link), then switched over to DBR and saw this thread.

The main thing I'd say is that you need to accept the situation you're in rather than trying to hang on to your non-injured timeline and look for a quick fix, as much as it sucks. Do absolutely all of the homework you can, know the anatomy and procedures better than your doctors, and make sure you get the best surgeon around. Then, follow every PT guideline to the T for at LEAST the first few months. I would guess that you could play it by ear a little after that based on how you feel, what the experts say, and what the wide world of google says.

For a little background, I had a sports hernia a couple of years ago, which similar; sort of a tear in the abdominus rectus. I know how you feel, because at the time, 2-3 months of PT was just unacceptable - I was in my mid-twenties and very active, lots of things going on, no WAY I could be out of commission for that long!

Long story short, the surgery did not go as advertised, and I'm still unable to do anything remotely active, even breathe deeply or laugh, without increasingly limiting pain 21 months out. Been to every hotshot doctor you could think of, and at this point, it looks like the only option left is to do another surgery to undo the first one, with no guarantee it will work. Basically, two years of my life down the drain (aside from some prolific DBR posting!), still without any clear path back to health.

I don't mean to spook you or anything, just really want to emphasize how serious of an issue core injuries and surgeries are and important it is to do everything exactly right, due to all of the nerves and interconnected, tiny muscles that originate all movement. I sort of rushed into the surgery without thinking of the risks - orthopedic surgeons don't make mistakes, especially not with athletic, young people "like me" - because I was impatient, and it's gone from a year-changing issue to a life-changing issue.

So for whatever it's worth, I'd really recommend treading on the side of caution, and seeing if you can be thankful for at least having a clear diagnosis and something you'll actually be able to do to work yourself back to health. That's more than a lot of folks can say, and may not always be the case if you're not careful.

Best of luck.

[devildeac]

Does anyone have any experience either dealing with or treating this? I'm a semi-serious triathlete and I've been battling hip pain for about 6 months. I finally stopped running and biking completely about 6 weeks ago after an MRI showed a labrum tear. I'm scheduled for surgery on Friday and starting to get a little nervous. I rushed into the surgery decision with the goal of being able to get back training as quickly as possible. My surgeon who is pretty reputable presented me with a pretty conservative rehab plan with no running for 6 months. From what I've read though there seems to be a huge range for recovery time with some saying they were running in 3 months and others still unable to resume normal training a year later. Hoping someone might have some insight in terms of what to expect. I guess my biggest worry is that surgery might prevent long term hip decompensation but I'll be no better off in terms of activity level post op.

You could just cut tennis balls in half and put them in your running shoes (I keed, I keed).

Seriously, have you considered a 2nd opinion? Billy is an orthopedic surgeon who posts here occasionally. Perhaps he'll drop by and lend a valuable thought or two about this injury.

Sorry to hear this. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth, rapid recovery.

Think of how much time you'll have for beer reviews over the next 3-6 months.

[bluebear]

Whoa. Weird. I was literally just googling this (bottom of this link), then switched over to DBR and saw this thread.

The main thing I'd say is that you need to accept the situation you're in rather than trying to hang on to your non-injured timeline and look for a quick fix, as much as it sucks. Do absolutely all of the homework you can, know the anatomy and procedures better than your doctors, and make sure you get the best surgeon around. Then, follow every PT guideline to the T for at LEAST the first few months. I would guess that you could play it by ear a little after that based on how you feel, what the experts say, and what the wide world of google says.

For a little background, I had a sports hernia a couple of years ago, which similar; sort of a tear in the abdominus rectus. I know how you feel, because at the time, 2-3 months of PT was just unacceptable - I was in my mid-twenties and very active, lots of things going on, no WAY I could be out of commission for that long!

Long story short, the surgery did not go as advertised, and I'm still unable to do anything remotely active, even breathe deeply or laugh, without increasingly limiting pain 21 months out. Been to every hotshot doctor you could think of, and at this point, it looks like the only option left is to do another surgery to undo the first one, with no guarantee it will work. Basically, two years of my life down the drain (aside from some prolific DBR posting!), still without any clear path back to health.

I don't mean to spook you or anything, just really want to emphasize how serious of an issue core injuries and surgeries are and important it is to do everything exactly right, due to all of the nerves and interconnected, tiny muscles that originate all movement. I sort of rushed into the surgery without thinking of the risks - orthopedic surgeons don't make mistakes, especially not with athletic, young people "like me" - because I was impatient, and it's gone from a year-changing issue to a life-changing issue.

So for whatever it's worth, I'd really recommend treading on the side of caution, and seeing if you can be thankful for at least having a clear diagnosis and something you'll actually be able to do to work yourself back to health. That's more than a lot of folks can say, and may not always be the case if you're not careful.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the link, the info, and best wishes. You described perfectly my fear in that this will be a prolonged recovery. Right now, this is just a nagging injury that prevents me from doing triathlons. I'm not immobile and since suspending training, the pain in relatively minor. I worry that I'm going to make things worse. Hoping to have a little more conversation with the surgeon today about these questions. Good luck with your recovery

[bluebear]

You could just cut tennis balls in half and put them in your running shoes (I keed, I keed).

Seriously, have you considered a 2nd opinion? Billy is an orthopedic surgeon who posts here occasionally. Perhaps he'll drop by and lend a valuable thought or two about this injury.

Sorry to hear this. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth, rapid recovery.

Think of how much time you'll have for beer reviews over the next 3-6 months.

I better hit the beer store today to stock up...

[bluebutton]

I had arthroscopic surgery to repair a hip labrum tear in my right hip Jan 06.

Up to developing the pain I had been dragon boat racing which is like canoeing with 20 others. In the off season, I was lifting weights and running about 25 miles a week. So not tri level at all, but not sedentary.

After surgery, I was on crutches for a week or two. Single crutch for another 3 weeks. PT 3 times a week for a number of months and eventually stopped PT in September.

I was back in the boat by March and racing in June.

These days the hip is quite good. I don't race any more but I do run. I have to keep the miles low mostly because my other joints don't love it, but my hip is more or less ok. Not perfect, but good for everyday life.

Hope that helps. But really be kind to yourself, especially in the early months. You'll have to relearn to walk and your muscles will atrophy that first week more than you believe possible.

Accupuncture seemed to help w the healing process for me.

[northernduke]

I ran a marathon back in November. Was the first I'd ever run, and until I started training I had never run more than six miles at one time. In December, when I started easing back into running, I noticed my right leg felt weak and muscles were tight (IT, Groin, Hammy). I thought nothing of it for about two months, thinking I could ease my way out of it with some self-made rehab and stretching. After no improvement I went to the doctor, had the MRI and found out I have a torn hip labrum. Tear was described to me as a "rub burn" rather than a 'ripped piece of paper". An isolated incident caused the femer to hit the labrum at an odd angle creating the tear.

The doctor I saw described recovery / repair as this:
First try PT,
Then injection,
Finally surgery (if the prior two haven't worked).

Admittedly I have not done a tremendous amount of self research, but I just started the PT. No change after the first two sessions, but I wouldn't expect it. I'm all for seeing how the body can repair itself before going under the knife, especially with the summer season fast approaching.

[bluebear]

I ran a marathon back in November. Was the first I'd ever run, and until I started training I had never run more than six miles at one time. In December, when I started easing back into running, I noticed my right leg felt weak and muscles were tight (IT, Groin, Hammy). I thought nothing of it for about two months, thinking I could ease my way out of it with some self-made rehab and stretching. After no improvement I went to the doctor, had the MRI and found out I have a torn hip labrum. Tear was described to me as a "rub burn" rather than a 'ripped piece of paper". An isolated incident caused the femer to hit the labrum at an odd angle creating the tear.

The doctor I saw described recovery / repair as this:
First try PT,
Then injection,
Finally surgery (if the prior two haven't worked).

Admittedly I have not done a tremendous amount of self research, but I just started the PT. No change after the first two sessions, but I wouldn't expect it. I'm all for seeing how the body can repair itself before going under the knife, especially with the summer season fast approaching.

Good luck with the recovery. I ended up going ahead with surgery last friday and I guess I'm glad I did in retrospect. My labrum was fairly shredded. Apparently I had femoracetabular impingement caused from a structural abnormality. The combination of the bone spur and the exercise regimen was wearing out the labrum and ultimately caused the tear.. They were able to fix the abnormality, clean out some of the damage, and they opted to save the labrum because I was relatively young (37) and active. Long recovery with 6 weeks on crutches, no swimming for 3 months, no running for 6-9 months. The surgery itself was fairly easy and the pain is reasonable. The long recovery time and limited mobility are the biggest challenges post op. Seems like it was necessary in my case, but hopefully the PT will be a success for you. The biggest issue for me was that my surgeon indicated that I might have to modify my activity long term given the state of the labrum. Too soon to worry about that at this point. Again, best of luck

[bluebutton]

Good luck with the recovery. I ended up going ahead with surgery last friday and I guess I'm glad I did in retrospect. My labrum was fairly shredded. Apparently I had femoracetabular impingement caused from a structural abnormality. The combination of the bone spur and the exercise regimen was wearing out the labrum and ultimately caused the tear.. They were able to fix the abnormality, clean out some of the damage, and they opted to save the labrum because I was relatively young (37) and active. Long recovery with 6 weeks on crutches, no swimming for 3 months, no running for 6-9 months. The surgery itself was fairly easy and the pain is reasonable. The long recovery time and limited mobility are the biggest challenges post op. Seems like it was necessary in my case, but hopefully the PT will be a success for you. The biggest issue for me was that my surgeon indicated that I might have to modify my activity long term given the state of the labrum. Too soon to worry about that at this point. Again, best of luck

Thanks for the update. Was wondering what you decided. Best wishes on your recovery.

I also found the long recovery time to be frustrating. Having a good PT who pointed out the successes I was having was really helpful. -- It's hard to be THAT excited about lifting a leg 1 inch and panting afterwards. But she was a good cheerleader when I was pretty down about progress.

[northernduke]

Good luck with the recovery. I ended up going ahead with surgery last friday and I guess I'm glad I did in retrospect. My labrum was fairly shredded. Apparently I had femoracetabular impingement caused from a structural abnormality. The combination of the bone spur and the exercise regimen was wearing out the labrum and ultimately caused the tear.. They were able to fix the abnormality, clean out some of the damage, and they opted to save the labrum because I was relatively young (37) and active. Long recovery with 6 weeks on crutches, no swimming for 3 months, no running for 6-9 months. The surgery itself was fairly easy and the pain is reasonable. The long recovery time and limited mobility are the biggest challenges post op. Seems like it was necessary in my case, but hopefully the PT will be a success for you. The biggest issue for me was that my surgeon indicated that I might have to modify my activity long term given the state of the labrum. Too soon to worry about that at this point. Again, best of luck

I'm glad the surgery went smoothly. Hang in there w/ the recovery time -- silver lining is in 3 months the weather should be warm enough to start swimming outdoors! I'm glad they were able to save the labrum and hope you can remain as active as before once you're through with recovery. Good luck.

Thanks for the well wishes!