Hip arthroscopy

Do you have persistent hip pain, irritation or instability not caused by arthritis, fracture or dislocation? Then hip arthroscopy may be right for you.

Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure usually performed on an outpatient basis. Hip arthroscopy uses miniature cameras and surgical instruments to give orthopedic surgeons a better view of the inner workings of your hip. This increases surgical precision and minimizes the number and size of surgical incisions.

Orthopedic surgeons use hip arthroscopy to diagnose and sometimes treat hip conditions. It's most effective in treating injuries and conditions that affect, or have caused damage to, the cartilage, ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues that surround, protect and enable your hip to function properly.

Depending on the underlying causes of your condition, hip arthroscopy may be effective in:

• Relieving pain
• Improving stability
• Removing loose bodies (cartilage or bone spurs)
• Repairing tissue tears and damage
• Delaying osteoarthritis (wear and tear of the tissue surrounding the joint)
• Improving function and range of motion

Hip conditions that can be treated arthroscopically

Some of the hip conditions that orthopedic surgeons at HonorHealth may treat arthroscopically include:

• Loose cartilage and bone spurs that come loose or break off and get caught in the hip when moving. Hip arthroscopy enables orthopedic surgeons to tighten and/or remove these loose bodies.
• Impingement, which you experience as pain during hip movement. The condition occurs when soft tissue around the hip joint gets pinched or compressed between the top of the thighbone and the hip socket.
• Hip labral tears, which occur if the labrum — the ring of cartilage that helps hold the ball of the hip in the hip socket — gets torn, frayed or damaged in some way. Labral tears are most prevalent among active adults.
  
  As one of the most common hip conditions treated arthroscopically, a labral tear can result from an injury, dislocation, arthritis, structural abnormality, or wear and tear on the hip joint. If the labral connective tissue tears, frays or detaches from the bone, you can experience limited range of motion or pain and discomfort with movement.
  
  Hip arthroscopy can be effective in treating labral tears not caused by arthritis. However, if arthritis is present, hip replacement surgery probably will be needed to treat the underlying cause of the tear.

Benefits of arthroscopy

As a minimally invasive procedure, hip arthroscopy has many benefits, including:

• Smaller surgical incisions
• Less scaring
• Reduced need for pain medication
• Speedier recovery