FEMORO-ACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT

Hip pain can be a symptoms of a variety of conditions and pathologies. It is important to obtain an accurate clinical diagnosis from a trained medical practitioner such as your GP or Osteopath in order to ascertain whether your hip pain is femoro-acetabular impingement, soft tissue injury or another hip condition.

Femoro-acetabular Impingement is a very common injury to both young adolescents and the older adult. It is essentially a coming together of the ball & socket joint of the hip. (the femoral head and acetabulum). Causes can range from arthritis to hyper-mobility, from contact sports to an underlying pathology.

Broadly speaking, as a condition, there are two types of Femoro-acetabular Impingement:

“Cam’- An added piece of bone on the head of the femur that is pinching the rim of the acetabulum and labrum.

‘Pincer’ – An overly deep acetabulum to the point where the rim is too curved and digs in to the femoral head.

However Femoro-acetabular Impingement can be used as a diagnosis if the patient has place the hip-joint through a range of movement beyond physiological range. This then aggravates structures such as the labrum, the joint capsule and even tendons, leading to joint inflammation and tenderness of surrounding structures.

WHICH PRACTITIONER AT THE AARK CLINIC SHOULD I SEE?

The pain from FAI can last for quite some time if the maintaining factors are not addressed. These can be discussed during your appointment with Lloyd Tilney The Aark Clinic osteopath and modifications will be advised to avoid aggravating the injury further.

Osteopaths are highly experienced when dealing with hip related conditions. Using tried and trusted techniques to improve function, reduce inflammation and restore normal biomechanics to the hip, knee and low back.

Research Article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2635437/

The Aark Clinic author Lloyd Tilney B.Ost (Hons)