Hip Arthroscopy

Hip arthroscopy is keyhole surgery for the hip joint to relieve pain caused by labral tears, hip impingement and other hip conditions. It also provides diagnostic information about hip problems that may not have been seen on MRI.

Hip arthroscopy is usually done under a general anaesthetic (completely asleep). Two 1cm cuts are made above and in front of the trochanter (the prominent bone at the side of the hip). The telescope goes through one portal and the instruments through the other. During surgery the surgeon switches instruments between these portals to get the best access to different areas of the hip. A third incision is occasionally used. Patients generally stay overnight. During surgery damage to the hip joint and labrum is repaired or removed. If there is impingement of bone of the femur or acetabulum, this is also removed.

After surgery:

• The next day they are walking with crutches, which are kept until it is comfortable to walk without them. Depending on how much bone is shaved away during the procedure, the time on crutches ranges from a few days to a few weeks. Driving can start again after a few days and work after 2 weeks (this varies depending on how much work was done in surgery and the type of work - more for laboring jobs).
• There is often some swelling in the thigh, which can take a couple weeks to completely settle. Occasionally there is also bruising or tingling or numbness in the groin or thigh, which may also take a few weeks to settle.

Return to sport depends on the level of activity and on how much damage there was in the hip. It is common for the full recovery to take some time and for patients to continue to improve over months, and it is important to be patient in the rehabilitation period as the normal healing process occurs.