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Other Hip Treatments
Hip Impingement & Labral Tears (FAI) Treatment in London
In younger, active adults, groin pain with a catching or pinching sensation deep in the hip is often femoroacetabular impingement, FAI, sometimes with a tear of the labrum, the rim of cartilage that seals the joint. This is a hip-preservation problem, not a replacement problem. Assessed properly and treated in the right order, most people improve without surgery, and those who do need it want it done by someone who preserves the joint, not replaces it.
The active hip that pinches and catches
These patients are different from my arthritis patients. They are often in their twenties, thirties or forties, they are active, and their hip catches, clicks or pinches deep in the groin when they squat, sit for a long time, or twist. FAI is a subtle mismatch in the shape of the ball and socket that makes the bone edges bump during movement, and over time that can fray or tear the labrum. It is easy to miss, easy to mislabel as a groin strain, and it responds best when it is understood early.
What is happening in the joint
In FAI, extra bone on the femoral head, the socket rim, or both, causes the two sides of the joint to make contact where they should glide. The labrum, which normally seals and stabilises the joint, takes the impact and can tear. That is what produces the catching and the deep pinch. A torn labrum on a scan is common, though, and does not automatically mean surgery, which is why the shape of your hip, your symptoms and your goals matter more than the scan report alone.
Treatment that preserves the hip
The great majority of impingement and labral pain is managed without an operation: correcting how the hip loads and moves, building the deep stabilising muscles, adjusting the activities and positions that provoke it, and using a targeted injection where it helps calm an irritable joint. Where the biology needs support, PRP has a role in the right hip. The aim throughout is to preserve your own joint for as long as possible, because it is always better than anything I can implant.
At a Glance
When keyhole surgery is the right answer
For a specific group, a genuine impinging bump and a symptomatic labral tear that has not settled with proper rehabilitation, keyhole hip surgery to reshape the bone and repair the labrum can be transformative. The skill is selecting the right patient, because operating on a scan finding rather than the right problem fails people. If your hip is genuinely a surgical case, I will say so; if it is not, I will protect you from an operation you do not need.
Why early, accurate assessment matters
Because FAI caught early is a hip preservation story, and FAI ignored for years can become an arthritis story. Getting the right diagnosis, from examination and the right imaging rather than a guess, is what keeps you in the preservation lane. If your hip has already gone further, you can read about hip arthritis and modern muscle-sparing replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a subtle mismatch in the shape of the ball and socket of the hip that makes the bone edges bump during movement, causing groin pain and a catching or pinching sensation, and over time it can tear the labrum.
No. Labral tears are common on scans, including in people without pain. Most symptomatic impingement and labral problems improve with the right rehabilitation and, where needed, a targeted injection. Surgery is for a selected group whose symptoms do not settle.
Typically younger, active adults, often in their twenties to forties, including people who play sport or do a lot of squatting and twisting. It is frequently mislabelled as a simple groin strain.
Untreated, longstanding impingement can contribute to joint wear over time, which is why accurate, early assessment matters. Caught early it is usually a hip-preservation problem, not a replacement one.
Book a consultation and bring any imaging you have. I will examine the hip, arrange the right scans if needed, and give you an honest, preservation-first plan. Call 0207 859 4016 or email admin@ortholongevity.co.uk.
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