Hip Impingement Treatment in Pearland, TX
Hip impingement, also referred to as a femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), is a condition where the femoral head and acetabulum socket in your hip cease to fit together properly. This results in the hip bones rubbing together during movement which can cause damage to the hip joint. Most commonly, hip impingement will develop as an infant goes into adulthood and the hip continues to grow abnormally. It can be caused by femoral tears, cartilage damage and hip arthritis.
Symptoms of Hip Impingement
Early on, hip impingement pain is often manageable. When pain worsens, it can cause the following symptoms:
- Pain in the groin and hip areas
- Stiffness in the groin or front of the thigh
- Loss of full range of motion
Over time regular activities such as turning and squatting will become difficult as the hip impingement becomes more pronounced. Athletes or more active people often experience pain from hip impingement earlier than others due to repeated rigorous movement. However, exercise and physical activity do not cause hip impingement.
Types of Hip Impingement
There are three types of hip impingement:
- CAM impingement: The head of femur is not perfectly round and rubs against hip socket.
- Pincer impingement deformity: The socket has excessive coverage over the femoral ball and creates cartilage and labral damage.
- Combined impingement deformity: Occurs when both CAM and pincer impingement deformities exist concurrently.
Hip Impingement Diagnosis
In order to determine whether you may be experiencing hip impingement, a healthcare provider will conduct a physical examination in which the range of motion in your hip joint will be assessed. In addition to a complete examination, your healthcare provider will likely run a few different tests including X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans to get better imaging of the hip joint, soft tissue and cartilage.
Hip Impingement Treatment
Once hip impingement is confirmed, your healthcare provider will discuss viable treatment options for you to consider. Some cases of hip impingement are manageable with non-surgical treatment including:
- Resting the affected hip
- Reducing certain types of physical activity and exercise
- Anti-inflammatory pain medications
- Physical therapy
If non-surgical approaches do not relieve your pain, hip impingement surgery may be recommended. A popular, minimally-invasive surgical procedure is a hip arthroscopy which uses thin cameras and instruments inserted through small incisions made in the skin. In some cases, where the cartilage damage is severe, a hip replacement may be the only way to reduce pain.
No matter the hip impingement procedure chosen, being able to identify it early on and understand what your options are will go a long way towards helping to reduce pain, discomfort and future osteoarthritis in the hip.
Request more information about Hip Impingements today. Call (281) 481-2649 or contact Dr. David Vanderweide online.
David G. Vanderweide MD, PA
Address
333 N Texas AveSuite 2000
Webster, TX 77598
(281) 481-2649
www.dvanderweide.com