New research led by Dr Joshua Heerey is helping clinicians better understand the relationship between labral tears and future hip damage in athletes.
“The acetabular labrum is a triangular soft tissue structure within the hip joint,” he explains. “Labral tears are a common cause of hip pain in young athletes and are thought to accelerate damage to the cartilage in the hip.”
Dr Heerey's study, which examined labral tears and cartilage loss in high-impact athletes over time, found that not all labral tears are the same.
“Athletes with more severe labral tears, particularly in certain areas of the hip, tended to experience greater cartilage loss over time,” he says. “However, these relationships were relatively weak, suggesting that labral tears are only one factor contributing to cartilage damage.”
Dr Heerey says he hopes the findings will improve the assessment and treatment of labral tears.
“The research supports the use of hip MRI scans to assess both the location and severity of labral tears, as these factors may influence the risk of future cartilage damage. It may also help clinicians identify people at greater risk of joint damage and make more informed treatment decisions.”
Dr Heerey’s next step will be to develop practical and reliable ways to identify labral tears in everyday clinical care.
“In the future, prevention strategies may aim to reduce the risk of developing labral tears in the first place or to slow joint damage and worsening symptoms in people who already have a labral tear.”
