Hip-impingement - Dr. Michael Lehmann

Symptoms of hip impingement

With femoro-acetabular impingement (hip impingement), even the simplest movements such as putting on shoes or getting into the car can cause pain. The cause of hip impingement is unwanted contact during certain movements between the edge of the joint socket and the neck of the femur or the edge of the joint socket and the head of the femur. The normal range of movement is reduced, causing the neck of the femur to impact on the edge of the joint socket even with normal movements. This causes increased pain in the area of the hip and groin.

Causes of hip impingement

One cause of hip impingement can be an abnormally enlarged socket edge that can occur for a variety of reasons or be due to genetic predisposition. With hip movements, the enlarged hip joint edge then quickly becomes an obstacle and produces corresponding pain. Bony deposits in the transition between the femoral head and the femoral neck can also be the cause when they develop over time and cause painful contact with the edge of the joint or labrum during movement.

Early treatment is of benefit for hip impingement

As the constant impacts on the edge of the joint can cause massive damage to the joint, early treatment of hip impingement is essential. If left too late, there is a risk that osteoarthritis of the hip will develop that in many cases can only be treated effectively with a joint replacement.

Treatment for hip impingement

With hip impingement, the treatment of choice is usually surgical intervention, which can be carried out conservatively via an arthroscopy and leaves behind no major scars. Bony structures that are responsible for the impingement and which have already led to secondary cartilage and/or labral damage can in most cases by easily removed during the procedure. This can prevent the progression of hip osteoarthritis and restore pain-free mobility.