Hip FAI: Looking at Hip Pain through a Global Lens

Syndrome of impinged hip also called FAI is a medical condition implying a great deal of pain, discomfort and debilitation. Femoroacetabular Impingement hits adults in middle age. It heavily limits the way a person moved before the condition manifested itself. Hip joint lays at heart of the problem. Femoral head excessive rubbing causes inflammation and pain. The symptoms include:

range of motion limitations
groin related painful sensations
lower back aches
CT scan and MRI usually show signs of osteoarthritis

Anatomy of hip Joint

Acetabulofemoral joint is the joint in the pelvic area that supports the body weight in static and dynamic positions. The way a hip joint is built the way so the head of the greater femur rotates. This way the range of motion of the hip is almost unlimited. If an inflammation occurs, the range of motion becomes largely limited. The parts of this joint fit tight together when the joint is in healthy condition. It normally allows for unobstructed motion.

The smooth slippery glossy cartilaginous layer almost fourth of an inch thick covers the head of the femur. Thanks to this layer a joint moves freely.

Femoroacetabular impingement

In the case of Femoroacetabular impingement boney needley structures start to form on top of the femur and start rubbing the socket of this joint, prompting trauma and inflammation. The needles are called bone spurs, they are the cause of irregular excessive friction within the joint, inhibiting normal movement. Glenoidal labrum of the hip joint gets tears over time, causing osteoarthritis (swelling and inflammation within the joint) as well as slow cartilage breakdown.

The symptoms of this condition include:

groin pain
indirect hip pain
aching sensation in lower back area
rigidity and constraint when attempt to move is made
peripheral pains in buttocks and hamstrings.

Increased stiffness after exercise

Femoroacetabular impingement is usually treated using NSAIDs to manage pain, activity modification,PT complex. Rare cases are that surgery becomes an option to remove bone spurs.

Attempting to alleviate the pain and the obvious epicentre of it, the major picture may go out of focus. Human movement as we know it is not isolated to one joint or body part. Other factors may as well impact the situation. Faulty movement mechanics, poor postural habits, neglected injuries, muscle tightness, weakness could all contribute to all the wrong things going on in hip joint function. When addressing FAI, clinicians should pay attention and assess holistically.

How to treat Femoroacetabular impingement in NYC?

Sports medicine team at NYDNRehab in NYC understands this common integrated nature of human motion. We use the latest therapeutic methods and cutting edge technologies to figure out correct deficiencies in functional movement, eliminating pain at its source.

Contact NYDN Rehab today. Let our highly-trained hip pain specialists diagnose your condition properly. Your hip pain is about to be treated. Leave hip related aches behind.

ACL Injury.Return to Great Performances

Professional sports players whose lives revolve around their sport, having an injury that takes them off the playing field can be torture. In eagerness to get back in the game, athletes often play down their symptoms and exaggerate their degree of recovery.

Diagnosis

A clinical exam and diagnostic ultrasound imaging can help your therapist pinpoint the exact location and cause of your hip and groin pain.

Ultrasound enables you and your therapist to view the hip and groin region in real time, while in motion. In addition to ultrasound, video gait analysis can help us identify faulty movement mechanics that contribute to hip and groin pain. Once the exact cause is determined, an effective treatment plan can be initiated.

Explore more advanced diagnostic tools available only at NYDNRehab:

Sonoelastography SMI

Hip dysfunction and pain can be a complex issue due to interactions of the trunk, pelvis, low back, groin and hip joint. Physical therapy and rehabilitation that is based only on subjective clinical analysis often addresses the symptoms without resolving the underlying cause.

At NYDNRehab, our groundbreaking motion analysis technology and high resolution diagnostic ultrasonography have enabled us to develop a battery of tests that perfectly reveal the dynamic functional pathology of the hip joint and pelvis. Our tests are evidence-based protocols that are considered to be the gold standard in the world of research.

Our testing protocol includes:

Combined lumbopelvic hip stability test using DLEST methodology with C.A.R.E.N., our computer assisted rehab environment

Hip joint stability test using DLEST methodology with C.A.R.E.N.

3D star excursion banner test (SEBT) for assessing the involvement of the hip joint and muscles in postural stability

3D gait or running analysis

3D kinematic joint angle analysis during a squat, lunge, drop jump and pelvis on hip rotation

Rehabilitative ultrasonography for viewing intrinsic hip stabilizing muscle activation patterns

We also perform neuromotor testing with DD Robotech for:

Proprioception
Tracking ability
Force sense
Critical power
Reactive power
Flexibility

SEMG

Surface electromyography (SEMG) may be added to any of the above tests when needed.

Based on our experience and evidence-based information, we believe that physical therapy and rehabilitation should be based on objective quantifiable data.