Hip Labral Tear

[invictus43]

I suffered a traumatic hip subluxation in a hockey game 20 years ago.  After many years of being unable to get imagery, I finally had an MRI and I have 2 labral tears with cysts.  I laid off hockey for 18 months due to Covid and did mostly cycling, hiking and swimming.  I had very good pain levels and felt almost normal.  Well, hockey fired up and after the first game back I was nearly crippled the next day.  The hip mobility required for hockey I believe simply aggravates the existing condition and makes it very painful afterward.

So, knowing that any kind of hip surgery correction is iffy at best (I've read  many stories and it seems 50/50 is at best the outcome), do I simply stop playing hockey and focus on non-painful activities?  I really can't do a year of rehab at this point in my life so surgery really isn't an option even if it did have a good efficacy rate.  Has anyone been able to come back from this with strengthening only and been able to play hockey at a high level again?  I'm in Canada so being able to cherry-pick a world-class ortho is difficult.

Thank you in advance for any opinions offered.  

[Paxiled]

If you're in Canada, the hockey capital of the world, I'm guessing you're actually in the best place to be to ask an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating athletes this question.  My experience with them has been that for those of us who are not professional athletes they are pretty conservative usually about doing surgery.  I have a problem with my hips as well but it's worse that what you're experiencing.  Because I'm over 68 I really can't see ever recovering from surgery for that, as like you've found the research I did shows that's not a very successful surgery to have.  My own point of view is, if that's the only thing that hurts you, you're going to get too old to play hockey at any level that makes it good exercise eventually anyway -- I aged out of full court basketball and just stopped -- so it seems to me if nothing else hurts you and you like doing these other things, do those other things and get on with your life.  But most likely I think you'd be put on rest and then sent to physical therapy before surgery was tried.  PT will give you exercises to increase hip mobility.  But I'm not sure it's really a mobility thing.  I'm guessing you can do what you want to do, it's the paying for it later that's the problem, so you probably have pretty good mobility.  Frankly, if cycling and hiking aren't bothering you, I'm not sure your problem is torn labrums even if you have them, but what do I know?  You really want to work on mobility?  Take up martial arts.  Peace.

[Paxiled]

But let me add, if you are going to get that surgery, get it while you're young.  You don't say how old you are but if you're under 40, that's the best time to get that type of surgery from my research.

[invictus43]

Thanks paxiled.  I'm early 50s so time is running out. From what I've read mobility actually causes more issues and strengthening seems to be the way forward. I agree the surgery seems very risky so I'm not sure what the point would be.  It may be that as you say, just move on from hockey.  You have a good perspective on this and I thank you for your input.

[Paxiled]

I said what I said about mobility because every time I've had an injury I've gone to the docs and the physical therapists and I have more mobility and range of motion than most people.  Yet, I still hurt.  Sometimes we just can't do certain thing anymore.  Peace.