Conditions treated by hip arthroscopy

The labrum of the acetabulum is the cartilage rim of the joint that makes it a bit deeper and helps provide a suction seal for the fluid in the joint. Sometimes this can get torn and lead to episodes of acute pain in the hip with sometimes a feeling of giving way. The torn segment of the cartilage can be trimmed back to healthy tissue.

Loose pieces of cartilage or bone can sometimes form in the joint for a variety of reasons and these can get caught between the bone surfaces leading to pain. These can be very effectively removed by hip arthroscopy.

Some early stages of arthritis can be associated with loose bodies or flaps of articular cartilage. Debriding these abnormal areas can often improve symptoms for a while, although it does not get rid of the underlying condition, it can by time before a more definitive procedure is required.

Occasionally a strong ligament with the hip joint can get torn leading to pain. This is amenable to being trimmed back arthroscopically so that it does not cause problems.

This is a condition where there is an abnormal shape to the femoral head and sometimes to the acetabulum (socket). This can give rise to damage within the hip joint. It is possible to deal with some aspects of this condition arthroscopically such as trimming abnormal bumps of bone from the femoral head/neck junction.

Sometimes, even after a number of other investigations such as CT and MRI, it is not possible to be sure what the cause of a problem in the hip is. In these cases it is very helpful to perform a hip arthroscopy.

There may be some conditions of the hip that need a sample of tissue taken to be analysed. Hip arthroscopy allows this to be done quite easily.