Labrial tear of the hip (labrum tear of the hip) (acetabular labrum tear)
Labral tears are more common than previously thought, having a prevalence between 22% and 55% in patients with groin or hip pain
- labrum
- stabilizes the hip joint by deepening and increasing the surface area of the acetabulum by approximately 21% and 28% respectively
- acts as a seal maintaining hydrostatic pressure, which may enhance joint lubrication
- Click here for diagram of labrum
Labrial tears disrupt the labral seal, destabilize the hip joint, decrease contact area and increase the stresses across the joint leading to degenerative changes
- tears are most frequent in the anterior portion of the labrum, known as the watershed lesion, as a result of a sharp and abrupt chondrolabral zone anteriorly
Controversy remains over the healing potential of labral tears
- majority of the labrum is avascular with blood vessels only penetrating the outer one-third of the labrum
- although neovascularization has been shown to occur within the labrum following a tear, some believe that the labrum has no healing potential.
Reference:
- Groh MM, Herrera J. A comprehensive review of hip labral tears. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 2009; 2: 105-17.
- Beaule PE, O'Neill M, Rakhra K. Acetabular labral tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2009; 91: 701-10.