Arthroscopic hip surgery may be indicated for impingement syndromes, labral tears and loose bodies. Many orthopedic surgeons commonly perform arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery. But arthroscopic hip surgery is more complicated and has been mastered by only a small number of surgeons. If you are considering this option, be sure to consult a surgeon who has experience with several hundreds of these operations.

The most common problem with hip arthroscopy is removing a torn labrum without addressing the underlying impingement deformity. This may provide temporary relief, but is not long lasting. Another error is when impingement surgery is performed when too much articular cartilage damage has already occurred. These mistakes are frequently made by inexperienced surgeons. When impingement surgery is performed on patients with minimal articular cartilage loss, more than 80% of patients have improvement in their symptoms.

The hope is that the hip joint will be preserved by this intervention, but this has no yet been proven. The ideal patient for impingement surgery is under 40 years with minimal arthritic changes on their hip x-ray. In these cases it is advisable to perform impingement surgery rather than hip replacement.

Arthroscopic Hip surgeons that I recommend are:

• Allston Stubbs – Winston Salem, NC
• Thomas Byrd – Nashville, TN
• Marc Phillipon – Vail, CO

Impingement surgery can also be performed through mini open anterior approaches or through more extensive approaches. It has not been proven.