Femoroacetabular Impingement and Labral Tear Management: Review of Current Literature and Techniques

The incidence of hip pain in the adult is fairly common, accounting for roughly 10% of visits to sports medicine physicians annually, and the origin of the pain is often elusive. For the active patient, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a common cause of hip pain, and related labral pathology further contributes to impairment. It is thought that bony overgrowth of the acetabular rim (pincer lesion) and femoral neck (CAM lesion) are responsible for impingement symptoms, which can evolve into a labral tear over time. The standard approach for treating these bony overgrowths for many years has been osteoplasty of both CAM and pincer lesions, but evidence is emerging that treatment of pincer lesions alone may be just as efficacious. Both FAI and labral pathology are treatable conditions by the orthopaedic surgeon with the goal being restoration of hip joint function, decreasing patient pain, and preventing early osteoarthritis.