Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows the surgeons to view the hip joint and surrounding soft tissues with small incisions.
It usually takes around 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the type of procedure being performed.
Your surgeon inserts a tiny camera that displays pictures on a screen and uses these images to perform miniature surgeries.
This is not as common as knee and shoulder arthroscopies.
When do you require hip arthroscopy?
Hip Arthroscopy is recommended for hip conditions that do not respond to non-surgical measures. It helps relieve problems that damage labrum, articular cartilage, or other soft tissues surrounding the joint. It is helpful in treating conditions such as:
- Dysplasia: Hip socket is abnormally shallow that puts more stress on the labrum and makes it susceptible to tearing.
- Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI): Extra bone develops along the acetabulum or femoral head. This overgrowth is called spurs damaging the soft tissues of the hip.
- Snapping hip syndromes: Tendon rubs across the outside of the joint and gets damaged from repeated rubbing.
- Loose bodies: Fragments of cartilage or bone become loose and move within the joint
- Synovitis: tissues surrounding the joints become inflamed.
- Hip joint infection