Hip Pain + Labral Tears

Our hips: One of the largest joints in our bodies. They take much of the load during our daily activities, as well as control the movement at our knees and ankles. Our hips are unique in that they require significant mobility AND strength as a weight bearing joint to function properly – without pain.

For that reason, it’s important to seek medical attention for hip and knee pain as soon as possible. Often, physical therapy can be the key to avoiding longterm pain, surgery or prescription medication.

What is FAI?

Femoroacetabular Impingement is a term used to describe dysfunction at the joint – if the femoral head and neck are not perfectly round, or if the acetabulum/socket is overgrown, most commonly due to excess bone that has formed, the lack of roundness and excess bone causes abnormal contact between the surfaces. Symptoms are often: pain after sitting in the groin and anterior hip, pinching type pain with hip flexion activities, and lack of range of motion.

How can I decrease hip pain?

Worn joints and structural issues are the most common culprits for hip pain. Aging and overuse often cause osteoarthritis, but this painful joint disease can also stem from old injuries.

Repetitive motion and instability in the pelvis sometimes leads to hip bursitis, in which fluid-filled sacs around your hips become inflamed. With increased mobility of the pelvis, the muscles tighten up to try and protect the hip, causing increased stress and irritation to the sciatic nerve.


Even if the cause of hip pain is structural in nature, the pain we experience most often comes from the muscles surrounding the joint, trying to protect it or increase the movement. In this case we will use manual techniques including trigger point dry needling to decrease muscle restrictions, joint manipulation, and myofascial release. Stretching to the hip capsule (fibrous tissue surrounding the boney structures) is extremely important as it can limit the movement in the joint. This type of treatment is commonly beneficial, however, if improvements are not seen, an X-ray or advanced imaging can be done to determine the exact cause of the pain and what other treatment options might be helpful.