The hip joint is a ball and socket joint where the head of the femur (top of the thigh bone) forms the ball and the acetabulum of the pelvis forms the socket. The edge of the socket is reinforced by a rim of extra cartilage called the labrum.
Damage to the labrum (labral tear) may be a cause for pain in the groin or around the hip. The labrum can be damaged either by a twist or sports injury, or just wearing out with time. Labral tears are more common in AFL football players, soccer players, golfers, runners, and other athletes. It may be caused by femoro-acetabular impingement.
The pain from a labral tear is often ‘catching’, and is often worse when the hip is flexed up (such as when kicking a football) or when twisting (such as in a golf swing). Treatment of pain from a labral tear starts with simple painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Sometimes this is enough to settle down the inflammation and relieve the pain permanently, even though the labral tear itself is still there. If pain from a tear persists after trying painkillers, further treatment may be needed. This can involve injections or arthroscopic surgery to remove or repair the tear.
Sometimes a labral tear is the first sign of arthritis developing in the hip. In this case as the damage in the hip progresses, hip replacement surgery may eventually be the most reliable way to get rid of the pain.
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