Traumatic Hip Injury Surgeon | Hip Injury Treatment in Maryland and DC.
Dr. Movement and Hip Traumatic Injuries
Keeping you moving forward
Hip trauma can involve injury to the bone or soft-tissue around the knee joint. Bony injuries include fractures (broken bones). Soft-tissue injuries may involve muscles, tendons, ligaments or labral damage. Traumatic injuries can eventually lead to hip arthritis.
Hip arthritis occurs when the articular cartilage breaks down and no longer provides a smooth, cushioned surface for bones to glide. This happens naturally due to wear and tear associated with aging. You are at higher risk for developing arthritis if it runs in your immediate family, if you have had previous hip surgeries, have had a previous hip injury or if your occupation/hobbies cause significant stress to your hips over many years. In some patients, their own immune system can attack the hip joint tissue and cause inflammatory arthritis.
Symptoms of arthritis can include joint pain, stiffness and joint instability. The pain is often described as a deep ache and becomes progressively worse over time. You may hear and feel a grinding sensation as you move your hip. Cold and damp weather can make these symptoms worse.
Anatomy
Articular cartilage covers the surface of a bone where it meets with another bone at a joint. In the hip, cartilage covers the ball (femoral head) and the socket (acetabulum). This cartilage is important to provide both a smooth, lubricated surface for joint articulation and to help distribute load to reduce stress on your bones. In addition to the cartilage, there is a shock-absorber called the labrum in the hip. Muscles and ligaments (rubber bands) around the hip help control movement and stability of the hip joint.
Evaluation
Your healthcare provider will evaluate your range of motion, measure strength, and perform special tests to help diagnose the source of your hip symptoms.
They will use the results of their exam to determine if you need further testing (e.g. x-ray, MRI, CT scan).
Hip Traumatic Injury Management
We offer a step-wise series of treatment options for patients with hip traumatic injuries. These range from simple, non-invasive modalities to more procedural treatments. Some examples are as listed here:
- Physical therapy and conditioning with our experience physical therapists
- Medical management with anti-inflammatory medications and lotions
- 2 types of injections
- Corticosteroids
- Stem cells or PRP (platelet rich plasma)
- Surgical options
Surgery for hip trauma is the end treatment. This is the best option to relieve pain and restore function when more conservative options have failed.
There are several options for hip trauma surgery depending on which structures are damaged:
- Fractures – intra-medullary nails, plate and screw fixation, complex hip replacements
- Muscle/ligament/tendon injury – soft-tissue repair or reconstruction
- Labral damage – arthroscopic (camera-assisted) labral repair or debridement, hip replacement
Each of these surgeries are performed in a minimally-invasive, robotic and computer-assisted fashion. In all cases, patients are active right after the surgery and in many cases, patients can go home the same day of surgery.