UUHC Health Feed: What is a Labral Tear and How is it Treated? When hip or shoulder pain disrupts your life, the cause could be a labral tear. But what does that mean?

Understanding the Context

Orthopedic surgeon Stephen Aoki, MD, breaks down what a labral tear is, how this injury happens ... This week we are going to discuss a particularly problematic shoulder condition, the SLAP lesion. The SLAP lesion is an acronym which stands for superior labrum anterior to posterior. This is a tear ...

Key Insights

This week we are going to discuss a condition that is sometimes missed on a clinical exam but is very important to identify in order to prescribe proper treatment—the labral tear of the hip. Labral ... A hip labral tear involves the ring of cartilage (labrum) that follows the outside rim of the hip joint socket. Besides cushioning the hip joint, the labrum acts like a rubber seal or gasket to help hold the ball at the top of the thighbone securely within the hip socket. Athletes who participate in sports such as ice hockey, soccer, football, golf and ballet are at higher risk of developing ...

Final Thoughts

Imaging scans A hip labral tear rarely occurs by itself. In most cases, other structures within the hip joint also have injuries. X-rays are excellent at visualizing bone. They can check for arthritis and for structural problems. A magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) can provide detailed images of your hip's soft tissues. MRA combines MRI technology with a contrast material injected into the ...

Hip labral tears are more common in people who play certain sports or who have structural problems of the hip. If conservative treatments don't help, a health care provider may suggest surgery to repair the torn labrum. Hip impingement with labral tears or other secondary damage requires prompt treatment. Timely evaluation and diagnosis are critical to alleviate pain and prevent further damage, which can arise if the condition is untreated for 2 to 3 years.