Treatment

Hip injuries in athletes can be treated with either conservative or surgical treatments.

Conservative treatment

Non-surgical treatment is the first line of treatment and may include:

• Rest, ice application, compression shorts and protected weight-bearing to reduce swelling and relieve pain
• Pain and anti-inflammatory medication to control pain and inflammation
• Physical therapy, including exercises and massages to increase flexibility, decrease inflammation, improve range of motion and strengthen muscles
• Cortisone injections administered under ultrasound guidance to relieve pain
• Platelet rich plasma (PRP), the injection of platelets and growth factors extracted from your own blood, to help in the healing of the injured hip

Surgical treatment

When conservative treatments do not relieve symptoms, surgical treatment may be recommended. With the advances in technology, and the need for a speedy recovery in athletes, most hip treatments are performed minimally invasively.

One type of minimally invasive hip surgery is called hip arthroscopy. This involves creating 3 to 4 small incisions to view the hip joint. An arthroscope, a narrow tube with a camera and light source, is inserted through one of these incisions. This provides a clear view of the surgical site on a large monitor. Based on the diagnosis of the hip problem, special instruments are inserted through the other incisions and the damaged structure repaired.

This may include:

• Trimming extra or diseased tissue
• Removing loose bodies or pieces of bone
• Drilling holes in the underlying bone (microfracture) to allow localized bleeding; this helps with healing and repairing some forms of damaged cartilage
• Securing torn tissue with sutures

Once the hip has been treated, the surgical instruments and arthroscope are removed, and the incisions closed.

Hip arthroscopy is performed as an outpatient procedure. It is associated with fewer complications, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, and accelerated return to normal and sports activities. Professional athletes who have undergone hip arthroscopy under the skilled hands of Dr. Benjamin Domb include:

Football:

• Corey Wooton, NFL Defensive Tackle, Chicago Bears
• Brandon Marshall, NFL Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears
• Kurt Warner, NFL quarterback, Arizona Cardinals
• Priest Holmes, NFL running back, Kansas City Chiefs

Baseball:

• Brian Roberts, MLB second baseman, Baltimore Orioles
• Alex Rodriguez, MLB third baseman, New York Yankees
• Mike Lowell, MLB third baseman, Boston Red Sox
• Carlos Delgado, MLB first baseman, Boston Red Sox
• Chase Utley, MLB second baseman, Philadelphia Phillies
• Darren O'day, MLB pitcher, Baltimore Orioles

Basketball:

• Troy Hudson, NBA point guard, most recently played with Golden State Warriors
• Theo Raliffe, former NBA center forward for Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers

Golf:

• Greg Norman, PGA

Figure skating:

• Tara Lapinski, Olympic figure skater

Hockey:

• Mario Lemieux, Former NHL player, Canada

Tennis:

• Magnus Norman, ATP World Tour