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You’ve already been through a hip ordeal when you underwent labral reconstruction, so you’re anxious to preserve your great results, which means doing everything possible to avoid injuring the joint again.
At Western Orthopaedics, our hip preservation expert, Dr. Brian White, certainly shares this same goal with you, which is why we’re taking a closer look at hip reinjury prevention.
One of the primary reasons why Dr. White prefers to address hip labral tears with reconstruction is because this approach often offers longer-lasting results. By longer-lasting results, were largely referring to avoiding hip replacement surgery — and about 544,000 hip replacements are performed in the United States each year.
Research shows that hip labral repair has a higher conversion rate to total hip replacement than labral reconstruction.
We bring this up because we focus our efforts on hip preservation through reconstruction rather than repair, and you can do your part by trying your best to avoid reinjury.
Now let's get into some best practices for preventing reinjury after your hip labral reconstruction, which include:
The work you do in the form of physical therapy immediately following your labral reconstruction is paramount to your success.
Your early recovery sets the stage for future function in your hip because, during this time, we work on these important phases:
Once you get to the last stage, it’s back to business, but with a few exceptions, which we get into next.
One of the most important things you can do after recovering from a labral tear is to listen to your body more closely. The moment you feel discomfort in your hip, just stop what you’re doing.
There are no awards given out for pushing your newly reconstructed labrum past its limits — quite the opposite. Ignoring pain and continuing on, time after time, is a fast path back to a labral tear.
Whether you’re about to play a game of tennis or you’re just getting out of bed in the morning, it’s a great idea to warm up your hips. Do some basic movements and stretch your hip out before you get moving. You learn plenty of exercise and stretching ideas during your PT.
If you love a certain activity such as running, it’s not a great idea to confine your activity to just that one. You can improve your running and prevent reinjuring your hip by doing some cross training that targets other areas of your body. For example, a runner can try some swimming and a swimmer can benefit from cycling.
You want to do what you can to avoid stressing your hip after labral reconstruction, and carrying extra pounds does exactly that. So, it’s a good idea to keep your weight within a healthy range to avoid premature degeneration in your hip.
If you love being active, please know it’s also important to rest, especially if you’ve undergone hip arthroscopy. So, carve out some time to give your whole body a rest.
Be assured that after Dr. White performs a hip labral reconstruction, our team is there to guide the way forward.
If you have questions about preventing reinjury in your hip after a labral reconstruction, we’re just a phone call or click away. To learn more, simply contact one of our offices in Arvada or Denver, Colorado.
