Labaral tear

[BigTam]

I have been having a few problems with hip pain for around 6 months now, went to the Docs, x ray to check, all ok, then an MRI with dye injected, apparently I have a labaral tear.

Consultant says I need an op and recovery is 8-12 weeks, he also said he is seeing a lot of these type injuries in cyclists.

Anyone else had this ?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

No, but best of luck and GWS

 

[BigTam]

Cheers

 

[Broadside]

I had a fairly minor labral tear, my consultant removed the damaged tissue with keyhole surgery. Do you know what has caused the tear? With me it was due to a hip impingement so during the same operation they removed some of the bone surface (burring they called it) at the top of my femur so that the labrum should not get damaged again - the hip impingement basically pinches the labrum and eventually the labrum can tear, i had a "cam impingement".

Google "hip impingement" and you will get lots of links to sites about FAI femoral acetabular impingement. My consultant said that the corrective surgery was not an NHS priority so your consultant might not even offer it...

My recovery after the op was surpringly quick - I was using a turbo trainer within 2 weeks and did my first road ride just over 3 weeks post op. I was ready for agony but it really wasn't that bad. The full recovery was more like 12-16 weeks but I was able to ride at near full capacity from about 8 weeks post op. For me it was an amazing operation and very worthwhile as all the pain I had before has now gone.

Best of luck with yours and keep us updated with what happens.

 

[BigTam]

Cheers for that, yes it is a hip impingement that I have too.

 

[Cubist]

I have an impingement in both hips. I managed to get specialist funding to have an arthroscopy to flush and de-burr the right hip, but apparently it's too far gone to make any difference. Pain management is the way to go until I'm old enough for a replacement. Apparently the 12 week recovery period is so long because the labrus is so delicate that you've got to make sure you don't damage it again and undo all the good work. The pain is now manageable on codeine, NSAID and paracetamol four times a day, but occasionally I get days of not very nice pain.

Both consultants I spoke with made the same comment: It's more prevalent than it was because a decade ago no one knew what to look for so a lot of it went undiagnosed. The cause of a lot of impingement is the thickened neck of the femur, which is congenital. Cycling won't have caused it, but I first noticed it because I was struggling to swing my leg over the saddle after a couple of hours' riding. After 8 months of pain management I'm in the position that I refuse to let it stop me.... I spent several months just feeling sorry for myself and avoiding cycling. That's self-destructive.