Our shoulders and hips are ball-and-socket joints. The top — or "ball" — of the shoulder or hipbone fits into a socket, allowing for range of motion.
The labrum is a ring of cartilage that follows the outside rim of the shoulder and hip sockets. It keeps the ball of the bone in the socket and provides smooth and painless shoulder or hip motion.
A labral tear occurs when you damage the labrum in the shoulder or hip.
Labral tears to the shoulder damage the ring of cartilage surrounding the shoulder socket.
Common causes of labral tears in the shoulder include:
The hip joint includes the head of the femur (known as the ball) and the acetabulum (the socket) of the pelvis.
The most common cause of labral tears in the hip is an external force to a hyperextended, externally rotated hip.
Athletes at an increased risk for labral tears are those that play sports involving repetitive movement of the shoulder or hip, such as:
Other labral tear risk factors include a traumatic injury or a degenerative condition, like osteoarthritis.
To make an appointment or learn more about shoulder or hip labral tears, contact UPMC Sports Medicine at 1-855-937-7678.
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The symptoms of a sports-related labral tear in the shoulder can include:
Labral tears of the hip often occur from an applied force to a hyperextended hip during contact sports.
Common symptoms of sports-related labral tears to the hip include:
Doctors at UPMC Sports Medicine will use imaging tests — such as x-rays and MRI scans — to diagnose shoulder and hip labral tears.
To make an appointment or learn more about shoulder or hip labral tear symptoms, contact UPMC Sports Medicine at 1-855-937-7678.
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To treat a labral tear of the shoulder or hip, doctors at UPMC Sports Medicine will try nonsurgical treatments first before suggesting surgery to repair the sports injury.
Labral tear treatments without surgery often include:
If the labral tear in your shoulder or hip doesn't heal after nonsurgical treatments, your doctor may discuss arthroscopic surgery with you.
During shoulder labral tear surgery, the doctor will check your shoulder socket and biceps tendon.
If the shoulder labral tear only affects the socket, then your shoulder is stable.
If the shoulder labral tear extends into the bicep tendon or detaches from the joint, then your shoulder is unstable.
After arthroscopic shoulder surgery to repair a labral tear, you will need to:Wear a sling for three to four weeks.
If you're an athlete, you can expect to be doing sport-specific exercises about six weeks after your shoulder labral tear surgery.
Full recovery can take up to four months.
Minimally invasive hip arthroscopy is suited for athletes and nonathletes of any age.
During hip arthroscopy, your doctor will insert a tiny camera through a small incision and repair the labral tear.
Compared to open-hip surgery, hip labral tear arthroscopy has a quicker recovery time.
To make an appointment for shoulder or hip labral tear treatment, contact UPMC Sports Medicine at 1-855-937-7678.
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