Hip Injuries

The hip labrum is a piece of connective tissue around the rim of the hip socket that deepens and stabilizes the joint, as well as seals in the joint fluid that lubricates the joint. A tear in this tissue not only destabilizes the joint, but allows the fluid to leak out, leading to increased friction and possible early degeneration. Click here to learn more. 

The hip flexors are a group of muscles on the front of your hip that lift your knee up towards your trunk. A strain is damage to the muscle tissue, from a few fibers to a total rupture of the muscle. The hip flexors are often injured by forceful hip flexion, or by overstretch into extension. Hip flexor strains are very common in hockey, soccer, and lacrosse athletes due to frequent and forceful changes in direction. Click here to learn more.

The adductor muscles, frequently called the “groin muscles,” are a group of muscles on the inside of your thigh that help to squeeze your thighs together. A strain is damage to the muscle tissue, from a few fibers to a total rupture of the muscle. The adductors are often injured by forceful adduction, or by overstretching into abduction (out to the side).  Groin strains are very common in hockey, soccer, and lacrosse athletes due to frequent and forceful changes in direction, but can also be seen in artistic athletes who experience forceful overstretching into the side splits position. Click here to learn more.

Femoroacetabular Impingement (or FAI) refers to a bony deformity at your hip joint that restricts range of motion and causes pain.  The bony deformity can be on your femur (Cam deformity), pelvis (Pincer deformity), or both (combined). FAI is often found alongside and can be a cause of hip labral tears (link back). Click here to learn more. 

The piriformis is a hip rotator muscle found deep to your glutes. This muscle is often the cause of hip pain and “sciatica” type symptoms. The sciatic nerve (large nerve that controls your leg), runs over, under, or right through your piriformis, and when this muscle is tight, it can pinch the nerve, causing tingling, numbness, or pain into that leg. Click here to learn more.

Snapping hip syndrome is caused by a tight band of muscle or tendon tissue snapping over a bony prominence in the hip or pelvis. It is characterized by a snapping, popping, or clunking sensation and/or sound that happens with hip movement. Sometimes, but not always, the snapping is painful. While occasional snapping is not concerning, frequent, long term snapping can lead to abnormal changes within these tissues. The tightness that causes the snapping can also impair your performance, so even if it isn’t painful, it should warrant evaluation. Click here to learn more.