Our hips generally experience a lot of strain during the course of our lives. Whether your job requires you to do a lot of walking or spend a lot of time seated at work, your hips and surrounding muscles are constantly working to maintain a good posture. It should come as no surprise then that we tend to experience problems with our hips as we age. And with so many moving parts being put under tension regularly, you face the possibility of experiencing medical issues in this area, no matter your age. If you are experiencing lingering issues with your hips your doctor might advise you to undergo a hip arthroscopy procedure to diagnose and possibly treat your condition.
When is an Arthroscopy Necessary?
This procedure could be your best option if you experience hip joint pain for extended periods. Especially if the pain does not respond to nonsurgical treatment such as physical therapy, rest and medications intended to reduce inflammation. If you have previously experienced an injury in the hip area fragments of bone or cartilage may have become separated and could now be the source of discomfort within the joint. Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that is able to locate and remove these fragments.
Hip Arthroscopy Procedure
An arthroscope is a thin, flexible device that is equipped with a light and a camera that is connected to a monitor system. During a hip arthroscopy procedure, your surgeon will make a small incision close to the affected hip. They will then insert an arthroscope into the incision and direct the camera towards the hip joint. The surgeon is able to navigate the camera using a magnified video feed on the monitor. This view of the hip joint enables them to visually identify the cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Hip arthroscopy is effective at diagnosing hip ailments and it can also be used to treat certain conditions. The procedure can be used to remove damaged tissues from the joint, repair tears in the ligaments surrounding the joint or repair damage to the bones. To be able to reach the affected areas with special surgical tools, a surgeon might have to make an additional cut close to the initial one. Hip arthroscopy surgery could be an option to treat hip impingement, a hip labral tear, hip dysplasia, snapping hip syndrome and synovitis (inflammation of the joint lining) to name a few.
Hip arthroscopy is performed on an outpatient basis at Centurion Day Hospital and the procedure does generally not take longer than 3 hours. Our facilities are well equipped to perform arthroscopies on different joints in the body and our surgeons have extensive experience treating related conditions. Contact us today if you require any orthopaedic services or browse our website for more information on any of the surgeries performed at our facility!
