It’s been over two years since my hip labrum surgery for labral tear and complex FAI. I’m happy to report that I am still mostly pain free and am back to most of the activities I did prior to my injury. I say “mostly pain free” because there are days and weeks that my hip reminds me that it’s not perfect, and I have to be diligent about getting back to exercises that help it feel its best.
Because I am a Neuromuscular Therapist, I spend most of my work day on my feet. Standing long hours never bothered me before the injury, but now have to manage the number of hours I stand in a row and the number of clients I see per day. The weeks when I am extremely busy at work, are usually the weeks that getting to the gym is difficult, which usually results in some sort of pain. I also have a tendency to do more things than I should, because the constant pain is no longer there to limit me. This usually results in me icing my hip the next day, treating my piriformis muscle with a tennis ball, and getting on the elliptical for range of motion. Others who have had the surgery who sit for long periods of time for their jobs have reported the same pain and a need for changing positions often to stretch the hip and find relief.
Exercise has been the biggest change – I am constantly finding a balance between too much and too little exercise to keep my hip happy. I recently started doing yoga again regularly, which was a big goal of mine. I wasn’t able to do yoga for a year after surgery because of the extreme hip flexion of some of the poses. Downward dog, pigeon, and some warrior poses were too much for my hip, but I’m steadily able to do more and more as time goes on. In a recent class the focus was “hip openers”… I almost got up and walked out, but decided to stay to see what I could do with modification. I did most of the class with minor modifications, and instead of feeling bad about how limited I still was two years after surgery, I was proud of what I could do. 🙂
Having been on the other side of surgery for a few years, I can honestly say that I am glad I did it. Was it difficult? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes – both because of pain and instability, but also to prevent more degeneration in my hip and stave off an early hip replacement. Would I do something differently? I wouldn’t have waited so long to get the hip evaluated – I should have listened to my body earlier when I knew something wasn’t right. What do I have to remind myself of daily? My hip will never be perfect, this is my new normal, but most days I feel 99% and that is GREAT!
I created these blog posts so that others can learn from my journey and be prepared for this surgery and the stages of healing and recovery that follow. I have heard from so many who have found benefit from my posts, so wanted to write one final piece from the two year perspective. My overall advice is: Find the best surgeon, find the best PT with hip labrum rehab experience, do not rush your rehab, and always listen to your body.
5 thoughts on “Hip Labrum Surgery Recovery – Two Years Later”
Do you have any pain around your goin after two years?
I am Having lot of pain around my groin area.
I’m curious if you feel like arthroscopic hip surgery will keep you from having to have a hip replacement ever in the future….is the problem corrected enough that you won’t be “predisposed” to look for a hip replacement down the road?…. Also, does a person with FAI and a labral tear really risk early degeneration even more than a normal person simply by not having the arthroscopic surgery to repair labrum?
I have been avoiding this surgery for a combined 8 years now.
Thanks for sharing your story! I’m 38 and in a similar situation and wondering if surgery is right for me—specifically because I do want to have baby #2 and wondering if I could handle it without the surgery and also if I do the surgery prepregnancy, would it just likely tear again and need a second repair. Interested to hear your thoughts!!
I am in the same spot Kim! Wondering what I should do, surgery before or after baby 2?
I’m three years post surgery and feeling really good! Definitely a fine line between too much working out and not enough. I recently got back into yoga and I’m really excited because I could barely do it for the first year or two. It feels amazing feeling strong and stretched from yoga instead of anxious from hip pain!