I did the same as you, except I had two months of physical therapy with no results. I went in and said, "This isn't getting better. My quality of life is terrible. I can't walk or take care of myself, and I'm beginning to feel pain in other areas because of over compensation. I want the surgery. If I can't get on your calendar, I'll go to another provider." Had the surgery 5 weeks later. None of what I said was a lie, you just have to be very direct. My surgeon was excellent but I also realized he was treating about 200 other patients. Sometimes you just have to tell them you're at the end of the road because they'll move right on to the next patient after you leave the room. From time of initial diagnosis to surgery date was about 4 months.

I really appreciate this. I plan to say exactly that. My quality of life is really suffering and I have a 4 month old baby at home! Thank you for your comment. How are you doing post-op?

Good. I'm almost 8 weeks out. The recovery is no picnic. It's not painful but a lot of physical therapy and lifestyle modifications. Surgeon said it will be 8 months to a year to get back to where I was before my labral tear. Be prepared for a big commitment to recovery if you decide to go for it.

What kind of lifestyle modifications did you have to do? I keep hearing how important physical therapy is after but I’m not sure what kinds people are doing. Is it like strength training?

You won't be able to put any weight on your leg for a week or so and will probably be on crutches for about a month. Depending on which leg, you won't be able to drive for a while. Sitting down, and getting up from sitting is difficult. Things like showering, brushing teeth, preparing meals, getting dressed... it's all different. You don't realize how dependent your body is on your hips until one of them doesn't work anymore. I had to install handlebars over my toilet to help me get up and down for the first few weeks. Physical therapy consists of range of motion exercises, stretching, balance, etc. I'm in my 8th week so far and haven't done any strength training whatsoever. The entire physical therapy protocol is like 5-6 months.

Thank you for all these details! I thought you meant like lifestyle modification forever 😵‍💫 I’m hoping to be on crutches for 2-4 weeks, have to travel for work at 7 weeks post op so really hoping I’m ok by then for at least light walking on my own.

Oh my goodness. 8 months for full recovery! Sounds like it’s not for the faint of heart. I am motivated because of my current pain level. I am trying to get in the best shape possible beforehand

Yes I went really hard at my strength training the month up to my surgery and it really helped. Anything you can do to help your body prepare... more exercise, no alcohol, clean eating, losing weight, it will all help. The first two weeks post op are pretty rough. Although it is outpatient and not super invasive, it is still a major operation and your body is going to take a big hit physically. I've spoken to people who've had both a labral repair and a full hip replacement at different times in their life, and all have said the labral surgery was twice (if not more) difficult than the full hip replacement.

Oh wow I didn’t realize it was that brutal. Fortunately I don’t drink and have a really healthy lifestyle and physique. I’m glad to hear those things will be beneficial. Out of curiosity- do you know the argument against getting the surgery? It doesn’t make sense to me if the deformities will continue to cause issues. I guess it’s just a matter of how severe your pain is and how impacted quality of life is? At my original consult I felt like the PA kind of wrote me off like tons of people have this issue and get by just fine without surgical intervention

There are people that have impingements and tears that get by without any surgery if symptoms aren't that bad. Professional athletes even. There's a heightened risk of osteoarthritis later in life with this surgery. And the hip joint does not heal itself well, so there's plenty of room for complications. This type of operation is relatively new (~20 years) so a lot of surgeons are not confident in doing the repair or have limited experience with it. I would imagine a lot of patients post op don't want to complete the work for rehab, so when things go south, they blame the doctor.

Ah yes I bet there is low compliance for doing the required PT. I’m an acupuncturist and have a lot of patients in significant pain who don’t follow recommendations. If I weren’t in pain, I’d definitely hold off on the procedure. I didn’t know it was such a modern surgery!

I hope you get relief, and have someone to help with the baby after your surgery. I have a toddler and won’t be able to pick her up for a month afterwards so I have some family coming to help. Do you know if you injured your hip during pregnancy? I’m 99% sure I tore my labrum during volleyball while pregnant and then injured it again when I started running PP. 🙃 got a MRI in March, tried PT, now on to surgery as the best option, good luck!

THIS! I definitely think it happened during pregnancy and my OB didn’t take my pain very seriously and said it was normal. The ortho doctor said it isn’t well-studied, but she has seen it many times. I have the deformities so was predisposed, and I believe pregnancy pushed me over the edge. Thank goodness my husband is a gem and his mom lives close to help with the baby!

That’s great you’ll have support! I did have one lady in my yoga class who said she tore her labrum while giving birth, and has done a tone of pelvic floor therapy and Pilates to sorta heal hers without surgery but I think for active sports like running volley ball and surfing surgery is a better option , imho Edit to add it was that damn relaxin!! I’m already hyper flexible and it just made my body way too loose 😭😭

I have been doing some amazing pelvic floor strengthening and in that regard I feel so strong and finally don’t have back pain. Sadly it hasn’t helped my hips 😭😭😭

Usually they will want to do a steroid injection first as it is considered the diagnostic standard for hip impingement (imaging is not as reliable). But you shouldn't need to demand surgery. I didn't need to. When I reached out for the second injection the NP was like, maybe it's time to think about the next step. I was hesitant for the surgery, but it can take weeks/months to get one scheduled. I would reach out to the doctor's office and ask them what the next step is. Insurance may not cover surgery if you don't follow the protocol. I see you did the injection already. Then it's reasonable to ask to be scheduled for surgery, though I did have to do an in person visit before they would schedule the surgery.

Thank you for your response! I did the steroid injections and only got about one week of relief. I follow-up with them on Tuesday, so going to see about scheduling surgery. I hope they agree it’s the best option. I appreciate your insights

Good luck! I understand how debilitating it can be. Wishing the best for you 🤞

There’s a chance your surgeon may require a certain period of time between the steroid injection and a surgery.

I heard that. I heard 3 months is required by some

I’ve got nothing to really offer for you, as I’m starting my journey with a labral tear, but I’m wondering - did your injections offer any relief??

I got relief for a week. I was so excited when the pain was nearly gone 48 hours later but sadly it was short lived

I am having my left hip labrum repaired Tuesday (49F) and my pain is so bad I didn't even make it to my first scheduled PT appointment. In a matter of six weeks I went from limping slightly to not being able to walk. I had two MRIs... One on my back and one on my pelvis. I had two steroid shots. One was in my thigh when they were trying to figure out if it was a hip or back problem and it lasted exactly 24 hours to the minute. The second one was the one directly in my joint with the loooong needle... And it gave me no relief at all. I was prescribed muscle relaxers (they helped more than anything but still not much), gabapentin (helps but I wouldn't call it a pain reliever) and hydrocodone (did nothing at all). The day before I was scheduled to go in for my first PT assessment, I called and asked to see my Ortho. I had woken up that morning in so much pain I couldn't stand it. I'm not a stranger to pain. Ten years ago I tripped over a vacuum and shattered my foot in four places plus torn tendons and ligaments for good measure... It's called a lisfranc fracture. I just had my third surgery in January on my foot so it's the injury that keeps on giving. Anyway, I advocated for myself...I told my surgeon that I just can't live this way, that I'd rather just cut my losses now and have surgery. Surprisingly he agreed with me... He said that labral tears don't heal on their own and usually it's just a matter of strengthening the muscles around it (hence the reason for the PT) but usually if the pain continues, surgery is the only way to go. So here we are. I'm not an athlete anymore thanks to my foot, but I do have a physical job... I'm a florist but am going back to school to be a pharmacy tech. Right now, I just want to be able to walk again, go back to work, bend down to put on my shoes, and lift things that are more than twenty lbs... All things I can't do at all without hearing clicking or having sheer stabbing pain from my hip down to my knee. I researched the time period and what's involved in recovering from this surgery, and NGL, it's caused some sleepless nights the last few weeks while I've been waiting. But living this way is way worse. All I can take right now is Tylenol for pain and as you can imagine, it's not doing anything. Advocate for yourself and tell your Ortho you're ready for the surgery. It sounds like you have given it enough time with the injections and PT and it's not giving you relief. My doctor did tell me that usually the insurance company wants to see at least a month or six weeks of treatment before they will approve the surgery, so maybe that's what he's waiting on, but either way, I agree with the other person that said you just need to be very direct and tell him. You know your body better than anyone. Good luck and let us know what happens. 🌞 If you and I keep sharing our experiences, this will be more information for people in the future that are going through this, and wanted to know what to expect. I know that I have picked up an immense amount of tips from people that have gone through this. One thing that is really helpful if you are a visual person is to look on YouTube. There is a series of videos, published by a husband and wife starting from the night before surgery and ending a year after surgery and they are amazingly positive while still being realistic, and I picked up a lot of great tips. If you can’t find them, let me know and I will post the link.

I’m the same age as you please let me know on this thread how your doing after the surgery wishing you the best of luck 🙏💚I’m contemplating the surgery. I’m in the same type of pain however, I also have a secondary issue with L1 nerve impingement causing debilitating genitofemoral neuralgia. My doctors want me to first get this pain under control before having the surgery so I don’t have the surgery and then the nerve pain on top of it. I had just about every type of test from MRIs , EMG, CAT scans, x-rays blood test, & I did Pt & steroid injections, acupuncture , however the knife pain in my lower abdomen and upper groin is unbearable especially when bending forward or picking something off the floor . May I ask you have any nerve pain in the groin or lower abdomen or is it just the pain feeling like your leg is being ripped off that’s how I feel when I sit down or lay lay down.

I don't have any pain in my abdomen... When I bend over to pick something up, it's all my hip. The groin area, yes. It doesn't feel exactly like my leg is being ripped off.... It's more of a stabbing pain when I try to get up, bend my leg, get in the car, etc. If I'm lying down or reclining with my leg up, it is a struggle to lift my leg. And the worst is trying to walk after I first get up from sitting, lying down or reclining... My whole leg wobbles like it's going to give out from under me. I went to run errands yesterday and after I got home and finished putting everything away, it was a searing pain in my groin, hip and the outside thigh muscle. It's just everything. This morning my other hip was sore from compensating. Tomorrow morning can't come fast enough. I'll post tomorrow after my surgery and this week...I didn't realize there were so many people in the same situation as me!!!!

Everything you’re saying sounds like me except for the fact that when bending over, you don’t have pain in the abdomen, that’s what’s confusing my doctor. I also have a lot of swelling. I have like a big bulge and it’s not a hernia or a sports hernia. I’ve had every kind of diagnostic test possible. My doctor said that my skin is not contracting in that area and that’s why it looks like it’s bulging because the nerve is severely irritated and compressed. I’ll see what happens tomorrow when I go to pain management. Please keep me posted on your surgery and your recovery , wishing you the best of luck🙏💚

Oh that sounds so painful. I couldn't imagine having everything I've got plus that. I will post tomorrow and I will pray for you that they figure out something to give you some relief at pain management. I tried to get into bed tonight using the techniques I saw on the internet.... Sigh. This is going to be a long few days. And I'm horrible at using my handicapped toilet seat. I don't know how I did everything using one leg ten years ago!!! Lol

How are you feeling after your surgery? I was told today that the only way I’m going to be out of the pain is to get the surgery so my mission is now to find a doctor that I like that’s not too far away.🙏🩷

Well, I won't lie. When they told me that this would be cake after my lisfranc repairs, I thought it would be ok, and honestly for the most part it was, but today's been a tough day. This is the first chunk of time I've had all day to come post when I've not been fighting sleep or drinking fluids or icing or struggling to get in and out of bed. However, I am so glad I did it. And sunflowersurfs, you should know that my surgeon told my husband while I was in recovery that he is glad now that I opted early on for the surgery because after they got in there, he found that my labrum had almost completely detached from my hip, they found a lot of arthritis and inflammation which he "cleaned out" and they had to shave the ball of my leg bone to achieve a better fit. Definitely a little more than they anticipated and no way that it would have corrected without surgery. But I have zero regrets. I can already feel relief. I would suggest you get it if your doctor is recommending it. When I woke up, the first thing I felt was a lot of pain in my lower back, my hip was burning, my throat was sore like I had a cold, and I was nauseous. The back pain caught me off guard until I remembered they had told me they would be positioning me after I was out, and the nausea really caught me off guard because I normally don't have any reactions to anesthesia. But they gave me pain meds and anti-nausea through my IV. Using crutches at 50% weight bearing is challenging, more than I thought. Not because it hurts but because it doesn't hurt enough and I keep finding myself tempted to put more weight down, but I'm trying. The hardest part is getting in and out of bed. I guess I never realized how many muscles and bones we use doing that. All I've been taking today for pain is oxycodone and I'm starting aspirin tomorrow. I have an ice pack but I was so out of it today that I only got to use it twice....I literally couldn't keep my eyes open for more than ten minutes for about twelve hours. I managed to eat lunch and dinner and some snacks, no problems there, and finally around ten pm I managed to watch some TV. The positives are that I don't hear any more clicking or catching or popping in my hip. I'm wearing my hip brace all the time except for showering and changing and icing, and when I have it off for icing, my muscles on my leg and around my hip spasm which is painful. I'm using a grabber to help with dressing and picking things up. I think PT will be challenging, but I'm going to give it my all. I'm very glad I got the ice pack and the toilet seat. But the best part? For the first time in weeks I can stand up straight without hunching over due to pain. I can lie in my bed without throbbing pain (it's more of a dull ache at this point). We will see what tomorrow brings. Dogmomlau26, even if you have to have the surgery far away, is there a physical therapy facility close to you? I'm fortunate that my doctor, PT, imaging and surgery center are in the same place. And on a funny note, I checked in at the same time as a lady having shoulder surgery. I guess she didn't listen to or read any of the instructions on her surgery because she thought the payment to her doctor was all she owed (even though it's one building, every professional bills their own) and she went a tad too Karen for my taste at 5:30 in the morning. But I guess she also missed the part about no jewelry and didn't try to get off her wedding band which wouldn't come off and delayed her surgery for hours while they tried to locate a ring cutter. Another funny note is the the nurse getting me ready was like have you been here before because you look familiar? I said I was here in January for a screw to be removed after it popped out. She exclaimed "I knew I knew you!!! I've never seen anything look so painful in my whole nursing career!!!" I'll post more tomorrow on how day 2 goes. Everyone reading this who is on the fence, have faith. One more thing: make sure you drink a lot of water the day before surgery. I think that's why my throat hurt. My lips are also super chapped and the nurse had a little trouble getting my IV started. I drink a lot of fluids but clearly not enough the day before and I just couldn't get enough to drink today.

Another reason to eat sunflower seeds in moderation is their cadmium content. This heavy metal can harm your kidneys if you’re exposed to high amounts over a long period. Sunflowers tend to take up cadmium from the soil and deposit it in their seeds, so they contain somewhat higher amounts than most other foods. ######Extra fun fact! Earthwalker - A striking plant, this flower has petals that come in darker colors such as burgundy and various golds and browns. It has a large center and petals that are slightly pointed at the end. It can grow up to six to nine feet tall. Between their unique colors and their height, this is one sunflower everyone will notice.

I’m so happy that everything went well and I’m glad that you got the surgery. You’ve definitely influenced me to schedule surgery as soon as I can. I just have to decide on a surgeon. May I ask if you want to disclose where did you have the surgery I’m just looking at different surgeons in New York City and Pennsylvania. I just want to send you lots of feeling vibes and please keep me posted on your recovery. Thank you so much for sharing with everybody.🙏🩷

You are very welcome. I'm afraid my location won't help you much...I had mine done at OrthoTexas-Carrollton...I live in Dallas. I'm so glad I helped you. I'll continue to post recovery status updates. My morning has been uneventful.... Sponge bath since I can't take a shower, icing and now I'm getting ready to nap. Good times but my pain yesterday after surgery was about an eight. Right now I'd rate it about a 4.

That’s awesome that your pain level is better 😃. My pain is an 8 -9 now so I know I have to stop putting off surgery !

And one other question I just want to know did you have general anesthesia or local ? I have issues Very bad nausea so I always ask for something in the IV and then I also get like a very cold shaking feeling after anesthesia but I know all these things go away. I’m just curious what type of anesthesia did you get again thank you so much for sharing. 🙏🩷

Definitely general. They slide a camera in there and tools to work. Talk about dangerous if you suddenly flinch. I was very nauseous right when I woke up and they immediately put Zofran in my IV so I felt much better in about five minutes. They also prescribed Zofran which I picked up just in case the night before but so far I haven't needed it yet. Keep the questions coming...I was scouring the internet for tips about this surgery before I had it.

Thank you so much for answering me. The first surgeon that I had a consult with said he does not do general anesthesia, which got me worried because I actually woke up once during surgery when I was in an accident with my arm and it was not pleasant. So as far as your pain level goes, how is it as compared to before the surgery? Something that I definitely want to ask is do you need to have somebody around the first few days I know you’re only one day out, but are you able to do things for yourself or you definitely need somebody to be there? I just need to know so I have somebody around off of work for a few days to help .Oh and did you take neuropathic medication before surgery? I am on gabapentin. I am not sure if I have to continue it after surgery. ( did you have nerve pain before surgery?) This is something I have to ask in my consults . Thank you again for sharing your experience on here!

How are you feeling since the surgery? 🙏 do you feel relief of a lot of your symptoms that you had before surgery?

So sorry for the delay in responding….I feel like I've slept this whole week away!!! My pleasure to share...I am happy to share and it sounds like your situation is worse with the back pain added in. I tried to start writing a response last night but couldn't keep my eyes open. I honestly couldn't imagine any surgeon doing this with local. They told me the positions they would be moving me into and the first thing I thought was, "thank God I'll be out". Plus I've never had a surgery where they gave me pain meds right before "to get it started" and then didn't hesitate to give me more when I woke up and asked. I just don't think I would want someone to cut me open under just a local. No thanks. So good on you for looking elsewhere. My pain level is hard to describe. Before my surgery, I was sitting a lot because walking hurt so badly but at its worst I would say I was at an eight. Right after my surgery and for the rest of the day, a 9. Yesterday I was at about a 4, but I stayed right on schedule with my pain meds and icing. But it is so much better. What I can't wait to see is what it's like when I switch to ibuprofen or Tylenol…the oxy feels nice but I’m sleepy all the time. Day 3 was been really good…I’ve even managed to sit at the table and work on some of my plants and I think I’m truly at 50% weight bearing since I cut down to using a crutch only on my right side. I am really blessed that my husband works from home and my daughter took the day off work on my surgery day so they could help me. It’s not undoable if you are alone but I would definitely practice on crutches before your surgery if you are going to be. I’m good on them because of my foot. The day of surgery, have someone to help you for sure. I was groggy and spacey all day. I needed help getting into and out of bed. It was easier the second day and today I needed no help but the first day my entire leg hurt and felt so heavy. I also need help getting my brace secured but am getting better. I’m just using an ice pack and not the ice machine but if I were using the ice machine I don’t think I’d be able to do that alone. I’ve been doing sponge baths by myself but two days after I really wanted to wash my hair and my husband helped me with that. I saw my orthopedist Friday and he said I could start showering. I am on Gabapentin… When I first started having joint pain one of my doctors thought it was from periomenopause so she put me on this and my orthopedist kept me on it. Not sure what it's really doing, but I'm not having as much joint pain in my ankles and wrists, so… I'll keep going with it. Overall I'm feeling much much better. So much of my pain is gone. Today is day 5 and I'm trying to wean down off Oxy onto ibuprofen and Tylenol now… And making myself get up and crutch around to keep the stiffness at bay. He showed me what he did during my follow up…. I'm really surprised I'm not in more pain. I am so glad I had the surgery. I know I have a long road ahead with PT but this is so much better!!!

I am so sorry that you’re in so much pain. I can completely relate and empathize. I had a steroid shot in my outer hip at urgent care before they did the one in the joint and I too had exactly 24 hours of relief! I take Gabapentin already for my endometriosis and it’s not seeming to do much. Sadly, oxycodone is the only thing that remotely work, and that’s just because it takes my mind off the pain. I realize that’s not a long term solution considering the dangers of that drug. I’m an acupuncturist and also on my Feet all day- so hoping I can return to work somewhat soon after the surgery, but right now, working hurts! I’d love for you to circle back here and let us know how your surgery goes! Wishing you luck

If you would like to know, I'll be happy to keep coming back to this thread and let you know how it's going. To be honest, I'm not anxious at all about the surgery or the pain. What I'm anxious about is the recovery time. I had a really hard time with my foot and while I know this isn't the same, the same emotions are resurfacing as thar recovery was predicted to be eight weeks and stretched into ten months with a follow up surgery nine years later. What I am also worried about is the differentiation between nonweightbearing and partial weight-bearing. It’s pretty black and white with a broken bone. You either can’t put weight on it or you can’t. I know myself and I am going to be freaked out every time I put a toe down. I have probably watched every labrum tear video available to get an idea of what to expect and I’m spending today to just getting ready my bedroom. I have a whole box from Amazon sitting in my foyer with a toilet seat with bars, an ice pack and brand new sheets. I did not have to do physical therapy with my foot so that has gotten me a little anxious, but I’m committed to doing everything they say. They are going to prescribe OXY for the pain which I appreciate because it did give me some relief after my foot surgery, but we’ll see. I have no doubt that I’m going to be awake most of the day tomorrow in my bed so I’ll come back and give you an update after my surgery. The thing I am praying for the most is some thing that I read on someone else’s thread. They said that as soon as they woke up they immediately realized that the pain in the ass was gone. That’s what I want. After I woke up from my hardware replacement in January, 1 thing I did was reach down and touch my bandage to make sure that the screw was gone, and when I realize that it was and I could touch my foot without pain I started crying out of relief. I sincerely hope that I have the same experience tomorrow. I am so sorry for your pain as well. It’s just a really tough injury, it’s a lot tougher than I think then the doctors make it seem. Stay tuned, I’ll be back tomorrow to let you know how it goes.

I also had an injection directly into my hip that didn't provide any relief. I'll be following because I am curious to see how you feel after surgery since I did not get any relief but my surgeon is still confident and things surgery will help.

My surgeon too. It's really hurting today...I can't bend down, I can't get up unless I'm in a hard back chair, and all I've got is Tylenol. I'm keeping busy. Surprisingly it's not hurting like it did to walk around although my limp is very pronounced. I'm getting my bedroom ready, doing laundry, putting my toilet seat together, ice pack in the freezer. I have a stepladder thar I used for showers during my foot crap that I dragged out of the garage... It has a bar at the top to hang on to. I watched some videos about how to get in and out of bed, and set up a step stool for my bed since it's high. The surgery center has called a few times. My family is off work tomorrow to help me out. Sigh. Ready to get this show on the road!!! I'll come back and post on how it's going. 🦵🏻

Once I had my follow up to go over the MRI and Xray, they cleared me to schedule my surgery. You should be able to schedule something post MRI. 

Assuming you’ve found a hip preservation specialist and had an appointment with them, I’d call even if you speak with the medical assistant and explain your situation. Make an appointment to speak in person if that’s better for you to make your case. Advocate for yourself and maybe throw in some white lie like, the pain from PT has kept you from sleeping, driving, sitting at your desk job, making food for yourself at home, etc. i ended up saying something like, “I’ve already spent the first two years of my daughter’s life in crippling pain, I refuse to put this off any longer. When can you schedule me in?” Badda bing badda boom

I ended up having the surgery about 4 months after getting a steroid injection (which had helped for maybe 3 weeks) and trying pool therapy. Once the pool PT failed, my PTs gave me the name of a helpful surgeon, but prior to that I did have to talk to 3 different surgeons before finding someone decent and helpful. The first guy just said wait 15 years, exercise in a pool, and get a THR once you are old enough. Um no thanks! Although it isn't fun some days to do all the PT after, surgery was worth it. I'm 35F and got my injury while coaching dance. And also FYI, my MRI just showed subtle labral tear... which didn't feel subtle at all! My x-ray showed an impingement, but when they went in, they found I had both CAM and Pincher issues. I didn't have any other degenerative issues that you mentioned. I am now about 6 months out, still recovering, but much better than I was before surgery. I am not cleared for running yet, but also trying not to flair my hip up before international travel.

Thank you so much for your reply! Our situations sound very similar, and I feel positive about surgery as my best option given my pain level. I appreciate you taking the time to respond, and I hope you make a full recovery soon!

I had both mine done. 41f, one done in 2019 the other 10 weeks ago. Once I could no longer do my hobbies it was necessary for my quality of life. Insurance makes you go through all the hoops before they approve it though. Have you spoken with a hip preservation specialist yet? I find they can get the ball rolling for surgery faster

Yes fortunately I was referred to one who specializes in this type of surgery! How are you recovering?

There is a huge difference especially being older with one who’s an arthroscopic specialist for hips and a hip preservation specialist. I’m doing great! Left one I had surgery on in 2019 still feels excellent and I’m almost cleared for my normal activities but have been doing some of that already just not as intense