Acetabular labral tear

• Acetabular labral tear:

  • Damage to the rim of the acetabulum – called the labrum
  • Can occur with hip instability OR impingement, therefore thorough subjective and objective findings are useful for treatment.
• Acetabular labral tear - mechanism of injury:

  • High trauma (Traumatic tear)
  • Repetitive overuse (Atraumatic degenerative tear)
  • Repeated hip rotation / flexion
  • Running with internal rotation of the hip
• Acetabular labral tear - Population

  • Young athletes
  • Older generation from progressive osteoarthritis
• Acetabular labral tear - Subjective

  • Unilateral anterior hip/groin pain
  • Dull pain worse with activity
  • Mechanical clicking/clunking/giving way
  • +/- Osteochondral lesions
• Acetabular labral tear - Objective

  • Hip quadrant testing i.e. Kemp test = pain
  • FADIR = pain
• Acetabular labral tear - Treatment

  • Analgesia
  • Manual therapy for joint mobilisation
  • Graded return to sport
  • Hip/Glute strengthening
  • Balance/Proprioception training
• Acetabular labral tear - Further treatment

  • Surgery: Labral repair
  • RTS approximately 3 months after hip testing e.g. 30 SL squats painfree and of good stability
• Acetabular labral tear - Imaging

  MR Arthrography