If your hip has been giving you problems such as stiffness or pain, your doctor may recommend hip arthroscopy to diagnose and treat abnormalities within the joint. “Why hip arthroscopy? And how long before I can get back to my sport and my active lifestyle?” are questions that might spring to mind.
Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure designed to get you up and about as soon as possible. An arthroscope is inserted through a small incision on the skin into the hip joint. It allows your surgeon to look inside the hip joint while causing minimal damage to healthy tissue. A hip arthroscopy may be performed to identify the cause of unexplained hip pain, remove loose bodies or abnormal bone growths that might be impinging or irritating the joint, and or treat tears of the labrum.
You will usually be encouraged to bear weight on the operative hip and walk soon after surgery. During the first week, you may require the use of an assistive device (crutches). If you work at a desk job, you should be able to get back to the office within a week. A job that involves manual work may require further rehabilitation. If you are a high-level athlete, you will have to undergo physical therapy rehabilitation to progressively improve your hip range of motion and strength until you reach peak levels of performance. Return to sport in 6 months can usually be achieved.
Patients are often pleasantly surprised at the amount of pain relief and the improved mobility they experience after the procedure. If you have a torn labrum or other hip injury which is not responding to physical therapy and other non-surgical measures, arthroscopic surgery may be the solution.
Dr. Domb is a nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery of the hip, shoulder and knee. A noted pioneer in advanced new techniques in hip arthroscopy, he delivers innovative treatments for patients with hip injuries such as impingement and labral tears. Dr. Domb is also an expert in arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder and knee, adept in specialized techniques including arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and all-inside ACL reconstruction.
