A wide variety of hip injuries can occur in adolescents. These include acute injuries acquired during contact sports, chronic overuse injuries from high impact activities, and manifestations of pediatric hip diseases that become symptomatic when children reach their late teenage years.
Common hip injuries in adolescents that occur on the outside of the hip joint are:
- Hip muscle strains or sprains
- Hip flexor tendonitis, which may cause anterior hip pain
- IT band tendonitis, which may cause pain in the side of the hip
- Sacroiliac joint pain, which may cause lower back pain
- Piriformis injury, which may cause posterior hip pain
A hip labral tear is acommon injury in which the rim of cartilage that surrounds the hip socket is torn. The tear is often caused by an underlying anatomic abnormality, such as hip impingement or hip dysplasia.
Hip impingement, also known as femoroacetabular impingement,occurs when there is a shape mismatch between the bones that form the ball and the socket of the hip joint. This can cause pain and degeneration of the joint when the hip is moved in certain positions.
Hip dysplasia occurs when the hip socket is tooshallow, leading to hip instability and risk of hip dislocation. Over time, the condition can damage the hip labrum and wear out the hip cartilage.
Acute or traumatic injuries can be identified by a physical examination and imaging studies, while chronic overuse injuries may be more difficult to diagnose. A careful matching of the patient’s history with a physical examination and advanced imaging studies by an orthopedic hip specialist may be necessary to accurately diagnose and give treatment recommendations for the hip injury.
If the hip injury is severe and not amenable to non-surgical treatment, surgical repair of torn hip ligaments and tendons, reshaping of abnormal bone, or removal of necrotic debris from the joint can be done using advanced hip arthroscopic techniques. This minimally invasive type of surgery enables adolescents and all active individuals to return to the routine lifestyles and activities they enjoy with minimal delay.
Dr. Ajay C. Lall is a dual fellowshiptrained orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and hip arthroscopy. He is an avid clinical researcher with numerous presentations and publications at international academic meetings and in top peer-reviewed journals. The doctors at the American Hip Institute® have been global leaders in Hip Arthroscopy and Robotic Surgery for over a decade. While some would call this excellence, we simply call it the American Hip Institute standard
