HIP LABRAL TEAR
Ross Hauser, M.D.

Though the operation is typically successful, there are some patients who want an alternative to hip arthroscopic surgery for labral tears. I believe the best alternative treatment to hip arthroscopy is Prolotherapy. While there are no formal studies on hip labral tears treated with Prolotherapy, I have been treating labral tears with Prolotherapy for fifteen years. I always give the client the option of arthroscopy, some choose it but most do not. I think there is something innate in people that they do not want to undergo general anesthesia if they don’t have to.

It isn’t typically a matter of whether Prolotherapy will work for hip labral tears treated with Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy has an excellent chance of healing the injury. It is a matter of whether the patient (or athlete) is able to not move the joint in such a manner which produces the clicking sensation. Patients getting Prolotherapy for hip labral tears can exercise, but they must just make sure that they don’t do exercises that bring on the severe pain and don’t do exercises that cause the clicking. Typically at Caring Medical, hip labral tears are treated every month to two months depending on which solution is used. For athletes where there is an urgency to get better, visits can be more frequent.

The story of John the runner: John would fly in to Oak Park, IL to receive his Prolotherapy at Caring Medical. On his initial history, he reported that he had “normal” Prolotherapy done to his hip, but upon questioning him it was clear his problem wasn’t a typical hip sprain or hip arthritis - it was a labral tear. His complaints related to stability in the front of his hip and a clicking sensation was also present. We treated him for three visits with Prolotherapy using Platelet Rich Plasma. This is where we spin down 20 cc of the patients’ blood and separate out the fraction with the most growth factors. We then inject the growth factors into the labral area. John responded great to his Prolotherapy treatments at Caring Medical. He is back to full activities.

For those of you contemplating why your hip might not be healing, you may have a labral tear. Realize that many MRI’s and physicians miss labral tears. The best way to diagnose it is by an MRI arthrogram. This is where they inject dye into the hip joint, along with doing an MRI scan. The treatment options for the athlete or person with a hip labral tear (same for Labral tears of the shoulder) is Arthroscopy or Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy typically takes a few visits and the frequency of visits depends on the patient. If it were me, I’d get Prolotherapy. Surgery would be my back-up plan not vice versa. If this sounds like you, give us a call – we’d love to help you!