What Happens During Surgery?

While each hip arthroscopy is specific to the individual patient, certain elements are common to many hip surgeries. These include treatment of the labrum, shaving of the bone, and removal of inflamed tissue.

• Treatment of the Labrum: Labral tears are treated during hip arthroscopy with either refixation (repair of the labral tissue using suture) or debridement (removal of a small portion of the labrum), depending on the tear type and the patient’s age.
• Shaving of the Bone: When abnormalities of the bony shape of the hip ball or socket occur, such as in FAI or hip impingement, the most direct way to address the problem is to actually reshape the bone. We use specialized bone shavers to remove the excess bone and recontour the hip. We use portable x-ray in the operating room to improve the accuracy of the bone reshaping.
• Removal of Inflamed Tissue: Most of the pain you feel from you hip is due to nerve endings that have become irritated in the presence of inflammation. Much of this inflamed tissue is torn labrum and synovium, the lining of the joint. This inflamed tissue is shaved away during hip arthroscopy.

Your Day of Surgery Schedule

Patients should have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day prior to surgery. Most patients will arrive at the Out-patient Surgery Center 1 to 2 hours before surgery. Hip arthroscopy surgery general takes 2 to 3 hours, but most patients are able to go home the day of their surgery with rehab starting within a few days.