Philly center for hip injury care

While maybe not talked about as much as concussions and ACL injuries, athletes are also susceptible to a wide spectrum of injuries that can cause significant and often debilitating hip and groin pain. Hip and groin injuries have been successfully treated with hip arthroscopy in high level athletes for years with consistent excellent results. These procedures allow surgeons to correct both bony and cartilaginous hip pathology through a minimally invasive technique, thus allowing the athlete a quicker return to play.

The most common cause of hip pain in athletes and the pre-arthritic population is a tear in the labrum combined with FAI (femoroacetabular impingement). The hip joint can be thought of as a ball and socket joint. The "socket" is often referred to as the cup, while the labrum is a pad of fibrocartilage that lines the rim of the acetabulum or "cup". FAI is a malformation of the shape of the head-neck junction of the femur ("ball") and can also come from a malformation of the acetabulum. This is typically the underlying cause of the labral tear. When the labrum tears, it can lead to significant activity-related pain, especially during sports.

You have probably also heard the term "sports hernia" and seen the successful outcomes from surgical correction of these issues in high-level athletes. Core muscle injury (aka "sports hernia") is a much better description of the pathology behind the dreaded sports hernia. The core muscle injury is typically a painful condition secondary to a tear in the abdominal muscle and tendon as well as the groin muscle or adductor. Again, when these structures fail it can lead to significant activity-related pain.

Many people do not realize that one of the best centers for athletes suffering from hip and groin injuries has been created (or is located) in Philadelphia's Navy Yard at the Vincera Institute. Vincera has brought together some of the best surgeons, musculoskeletal radiologists, physical therapists, athletic trainers, non-operative physicians, and other allied health personnel to create a one-of-a kind integrated hip and core injury center. The team is headed by Dr. William Meyers, who has been treating core muscle injuries in collegiate and professional athletes for decades.

The surgical team includes nationally recognized hip surgeons from prominent orthopaedic centers – Dr. Struan Coleman from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and Dr. Eric Kropf from Temple University Health System as well as myself from the Rothman Institute. Dr. Coleman and I co-direct the Hip Preservation Center at Vincera Institute. Together we work closely to determine the etiology of an athlete's symptoms and then, through a combined approach, surgically correct all of the core muscle injury and hip pathology at the same time. Many of these patients have had a difficult time getting proper diagnosis and treatment for their problems in the past.

Through this integrated team approach, we have been able to identify the pathology and then surgically treat when appropriate. When surgery is not the correct option, there is a highly-trained team of physical therapists, athletic trainers, and other allied health and alternative medicine personnel to add their expertise. The solution to many of these complex problems does not lie in the operation room but in the physical therapy suite. Although many may require surgical intervention, our integrated team at Vincera Institute will make sure that all avenues have been explored first.

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.