By Mason Uvodich Mayo Clinic News Network
June 26, 2026 - 6:00 am
Question: My nephew is successful his 20s and has been complaining astir ongoing hep pain, particularly aft moving out. When it didn’t improve, helium saw an orthopedic specializer and was diagnosed with hep impingement. What is that?
Answer: Hip impingement, besides called femoroacetabular impingement, is simply a information that often affects young, progressive adults. It occurs erstwhile the signifier of the hep associated causes the shot and socket to pinch during movement. Over time, that tin pb to pain, stiffness and deterioration successful the joint.
Hip impingement exists connected a spectrum. Some radical person changes successful the signifier of the hep and ne'er make symptoms. Others make symptom that begins to impact exercise, enactment oregon mundane activities.
The hep is simply a ball-and-socket joint. In immoderate people, the socket mightiness make differently, oregon other bony mightiness signifier wherever the shot and cervix of the femur meet. That other bony connected the femur is often called a cam lesion. These signifier changes tin origin the bones to travel into interaction earlier than they should during movement, particularly erstwhile the hep is bent profoundly during sitting, squatting oregon sports. This tin pb to symptom and reduced scope of motion.
Hip impingement is overmuch much recognized today. The information became amended understood successful the aboriginal 2000s, erstwhile specialists began linking immoderate cases of hep symptom and aboriginal arthritis to structural differences successful the hep joint. Young adults besides mightiness beryllium progressive longer, which tin marque symptoms much noticeable. However, not everyone with hep impingement has symptoms.
The astir communal grounds is groin pain. Some radical besides picture symptom that wraps astir the broadside of the hep successful a C-shaped pattern. Symptoms often go worse with prolonged sitting, agelong car rides oregon activities that impact heavy hep flexion, specified arsenic heavy squats oregon stepping onto a precocious surface.
Occasional symptom that goes distant mightiness not request contiguous evaluation. However, you should question aesculapian attraction if hep symptom persists for weeks oregon months, begins to impact regular beingness oregon prevents information successful activities you enjoy.
Sports and activities that impact heavy hep bending, agility and pivoting tin marque symptoms much likely. This includes hockey, rowing, soccer, hurdles and immoderate forms of dance, particularly ballet.
Typically, hep impingement isn’t thing radical are calved with; the signifier of the hep develops implicit time. The socket reaches its last signifier comparatively aboriginal successful life. Changes connected the femur broadside of the joint, including cam lesions, are thought to make during adolescence, particularly successful progressive teens.
Diagnosis often starts with the symptoms a idiosyncratic describes. Groin pain, symptom with sitting and a pinching sensation during enactment tin each constituent toward hep impingement. A carnal exam besides is important, since galore radical person reduced question erstwhile the genu is brought up toward the chest. X-rays assistance measure the signifier of the hip. In immoderate cases, an MRI is utilized to analyse the cushioning cartilage, specified arsenic the labrum, much closely, particularly if country is being considered.
The archetypal enactment of attraction often is carnal therapy to fortify the core, little backmost and muscles astir the hip. Activity changes and anti-inflammatory medications besides mightiness help. It’s important that therapy specifically targets hep impingement, since immoderate exercises mightiness worsen symptoms.
If symptoms proceed and statesman to impact prime of life, country mightiness beryllium considered. The astir communal process is hep arthroscopy, which uses tiny instruments and a camera to repair the labrum and reshape areas of bone. Recovery takes time, with crutches often needed for 4 to six weeks, followed by a gradual instrumentality to activity. Most radical amended wrong 3 to 4 months, though returning to higher-level sports mightiness instrumentality person to six months.
If near untreated, outcomes for hep impingement beryllium connected the severity of the condition. In immoderate people, it whitethorn rise the hazard of arthritis aboriginal successful life. In others, symptoms mightiness enactment mild oregon manageable. Not each idiosyncratic with hep impingement volition request surgery, and attraction decisions should beryllium based connected symptoms and however overmuch the information affects regular life.
Hip impingement tin beryllium an overlooked origin of ongoing hep symptom successful young adults, particularly successful radical who are active. It’s often manageable with the close attraction and enactment changes. If hep symptom keeps coming backmost oregon begins to interfere with regular life, it’s worthy getting checked alternatively than assuming it’s conscionable a strain.
Dr. Mason Uvodich is an orthopedic surgeon with the Mayo Clinic Health System successful Wisconsin.
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