Hip Labral Tear: Symptoms, Causes & PT Treatment
Updated October 20261 minute read
The labrum is a rim of cartilage that deepens the hip socket and helps seal the joint. A tear can cause deep groin or front-of-hip pain, clicking or catching, and pain with deep bending, pivoting, or prolonged sitting. It's often linked to hip impingement. Many labral tears are managed well with physical therapy that strengthens and balances the hip; surgery is reserved for select cases.
What is a hip labral tear?
The labrum is a cartilage ring around the hip socket. Tears can be traumatic but are commonly linked to the joint's shape (impingement) or develop gradually.
Symptoms
Common features are deep groin or front-of-hip pain, clicking, catching, or locking, and pain with deep hip flexion, pivoting, or long sitting. Some people feel the hip is "not moving smoothly."
What causes it / risk factors
Hip impingement (FAI), repetitive deep-flexion or pivoting sports, and sometimes a single injury contribute. Joint shape plays a big role.
How it's diagnosed
A clinician uses specific tests; MRI (often with contrast) helps confirm when surgery is considered, since labral changes are common even in pain-free hips.
Physical therapy treatment
What a PT does. Your therapist strengthens the deep hip and gluteal muscles, improves movement control, and modifies aggravating positions to offload the labrum. Exercises & progression (overview). Hip and core strengthening, motor control, and graded return to sport. Many tears respond well to a rehab trial. Recovery timeline. Conservative recovery often spans 3 months or more; surgical recovery is longer.
Treatment options compared
PT is a reasonable first-line for many tears. Surgery (arthroscopy) is considered for mechanical symptoms or athletes who don't respond to rehab — followed by PT.
Red flags
Seek prompt care for a hip locked and unable to move, inability to bear weight after injury, or a hot feverish joint.
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Frequently asked questions
Many are managed successfully with strengthening and movement changes, even if the tear doesn't fully heal.
Sources (5)
- Griffin DR, et al. The Warwick Agreement on femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI syndrome): an international consensus statement. Br J Sports Med. 2016. — PubMed
- Griffin DR, et al. Hip arthroscopy versus best conservative care for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (UK FASHIoN): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2018. — PubMed
- Enseki K, et al. Nonarthritic hip joint pain: clinical practice guidelines. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014. — PubMed
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Femoroacetabular Impingement. — AAOS OrthoInfo
- Kemp JL, et al. Improving function in people with hip-related pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of physiotherapist-led interventions. Br J Sports Med. 2020. — BJSM
This article is for education only and isn't medical advice. Always talk to a licensed clinician about your specific situation.