How PT can help with Hip Labral Tears
Many of our patients come to us because they have a hip labral tear. A hip labral tear occurs when there is damage to the labrum within the hip joint. This ball and socket joint allows the hip to move in several directions. The bony socket is surrounded by a ring of cartilage called the labrum. The labrum provides additional stability to the hip joint.
Repetitive trauma to the hip can cause a labral tear. A labral tear occurs when a part of the labrum separates or is pulled away from the socket. Running or repeated twisting and cutting can cause a labral tear.
It is important to see a physical therapist when you are diagnosed with a hip labral tear. Our team experts will select treatment strategies in any or all of the following areas:
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- Pain management. A hip labral tear is painful. One of our primary goals will be to alleviate the pain. We will likely implement a number of pain relief strategies. Eliminating or modifying the activities that may have caused the tear for a specific amount of time and icing the area can be one tactic. We will help identify specific movements or activities that could aggravate the inside of your hip joint. Each patient is different. We will design a specific treatment plan for you, beginning with a period of rest, and gradually adding a return to certain activities as appropriate.
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- Movement re-education. One cause of a hip labral tear could be improper movement of your back and hip. We will evaluate you and may provide you with some self-stretching techniques for the lower body to decrease tension and help restore normal motion in the back, hip, and leg. There are certain hip motions to avoid following an injury. Our therapists will carefully prescribe exercises to improve your range of motion, while protecting the area that has the labral tear.
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- Muscle strengthening. Muscular weaknesses or imbalances occur after a hip labral tear and can be the cause of hip pain. Our physical therapists will review your specific condition and design a safe, individualized, progressive resistance program for you.It will likely include strengthening your core (midsection) and lower extremity. Exercises will start out on one of our therapy tables and then progress to doing exercises in a standing position. You may begin by performing strengthening exercises lying on a table, for example, lifting your leg up while lying in different positions. You then may advance to doing exercises in a standing position, for example, stepping on and off a raised platform. Your therapist will choose what exercises are right for you.
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- Manual therapy. Our physical therapists will use hands-on treatments to gently move your muscles and joints to decrease your pain and improve motion and strength. Sometimes there are areas that you simply can’t handle on your own, so that is where manual therapy comes into play.
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- Functional training. Once your pain, strength, and motion improve, we will safely transition you back into more demanding activities. Before getting back into doing regular tasks, it is important for us to teach your body safe, controlled movements. Based on your own unique movement assessment and goals, our therapists will teach you how to use and move your body safely and will create a series of activities to help you do so. As part of functional training, we will discuss specific positions and activities that should be avoided or modified to protect your hip and may progress you to sport specific training. This will allow safe return to all activities you enjoy.
- Education. We will work with you to identify and change any external factors causing your pain, such as exercise selection, footwear, or the amount of exercises you complete. Our therapists will develop a personal exercise program to help you return to your regular daily activities and sports.
Our physical therapists are here to help and have extensive experience in the treatment of orthopedic issues and hip labral tears. Contact us to learn more about how we can help treat a hip labral tear. We are happy to schedule a consultation with you.