A hip labral tear involves the ring of soft elastic tissue, called the labrum, that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint. The labrum acts like a socket to hold the ball at the top of your thighbone (femur) in place.

Causes

The cause of a hip labral tear may be:

Trauma. Injury to or dislocation of the hip joint — which can occur during car accidents or from playing contact sports such as football or hockey — can cause a hip labral tear.

Structural abnormalities. Some people are born with hip problems that can accelerate wear and tear of the joint and eventually cause a hip labral tear.

Repetitive motions. Sports-related and other physical activities — including the sudden twisting or pivoting motions common in golf or hockey — can lead to joint wear and tear that ultimately results in a hip labral tear.

Symptoms

Many hip labral tears cause no signs or symptoms. Occasionally, however, you may experience one or more of the following:

Treatment

Procedural options for hip labral tears include cortisone injections that can help with pain from this condition but are not a good long term solution.  Regenerative type injections suchs as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can theoretically help repair labral injury.  If there is a structural cause of the labral tear (such as femoracetabular impingment) then that condition should be addressed as well.