Hip Labral Tear Definition

What is Hip Labral Tear?

The other name of hip labral tear is Acetabular Labral Tear. Labral tears frequently takes place in the front and top segments of the labrum.  Hip labral (labrum) tear is a medical condition within the hip where a sort of cartilage takes place. The damage to the cartilage inside the socket of the hip joint makes your thighbone less stable inside the joint. Because of this complication the fluid may leak from the joint which may result with a friction in your hip.  The cartilage is important for the hip joint for stability. The cartilage cushions the hip joint providing mobility to a person by giving autonomy and flexibility for movement. 

Hip labral tear symptoms usually takes place when the hip is changing position. Most of the time the main derive for this complications is because of an underlying anatomic abnormality of the hip.The clinical presentation of a hip labral tear (acetabular labral tear)  may be variable, and the diagnosis is often delayed. Clinically it is being observed that most of the time the correct diagnosis can not be made at the initial stage.  At this point it is essential to make an arthroscopy to make an accurate diagnosis and evaluation of the patient. Since each patient is different, arthroscopy will ensure a comprehensive clinical assessment of patients with hip labral tear (acetabular labral tear). Today we know that there is a high success rate of hip arthroscopy in managing symptoms of hip labral tear together with the improvement of hip function.  Besides rehabilitation Hip arthroscopy is  preferred among the physicians. Hip arthroscopy requires a detailed examination, inspection, detection, and surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing. However patients who have severe anatomic problems around the hip may represent an exception for the success of hip arthroscopy. Opinion leaders in this field support the idea that mechanical hip pain among the young patient populations is responsible from tears of the acetabular labrum.  It has been reported that the pain symptom is catching, sharp and superimposed on chronic and aching.  They have been associated with both dysplasias of the acetabulum and to dislocations, sports injuries, and to idiopathic causes. 

As it is true for every disease; early diagnosis in hip labral tear may prevent the pain and early osteoarthritis.  Among the active young patient population; patients may refer to physicians with a groin pain.  Although this clinical condition may be present with or without a history of trauma; physicians should always question the presence of a labral tear and should proceed with further diagnostic tools including radiographs.

Today for many physicians a further understanding of acetabular labral tear is crucial  The labrum is the gristle-like lining nearby the border of the acetabulum that is hip socket. 

Patients with hip labral tear experience a tear of the labrum that generally ends up with intense pain in the front of the hip, from time to time bringing down the thigh. A catching or giving way response in the hip may also take place. 

People should be very careful about their movements while making sports or performing daily activities; because a twisting injury or injuries can tear the labrum. 

Treating labral tears implies a clinical priority to disregard and prevent arthritis together with managing symptoms because a torn labrum is the main cause of instability and pain; besides it has a negative effect on the mechanical function of the hip in its own right and has an impact on arthritis. 

First things first !  At the initial phase physicians should correct the underlying anatomic abnormality if the torn labrum is present because of this condition. Today we know that hip arthroscopy generally enables symptom relieving trimming of the torn labrum through a minimum invasive method.

Please find below the hip abnormalities that has been developmental and which influences labral tears;

• Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease
• Hip dysplasia
  
• Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis
  

A  clinical study result indicates that 92% of acetabular labral tears were found anteriorly, or anterosuperiorly; the study was conducted by Fitzgerald and   published in Clinical Orthopedics in 1995.  Others have estimated  and concluded that the posterosuperior feature is most exposed to mechanical stress and following tears.  In the past up to today, imaging of the acetabular labrum has been subopimal.  It is important to remember that usually it is too late when the secondary signs are being observed to make a meaningful clinical difference. Physicians observe that conventional  arthrography is not consistent.   Even MRI has not been sensitive to labral tears when there is not an important distention of the joint capsule. 

Depending on a clinical research  conducted by C Czemy , it has been shown that there is 92% sensitivity along with 91% accuracy in MR arthrography where there are 30% and 36% sensitivity and accuracy with convetional MRI. The clinical data was published in 1996 in Radiology journal.