It happens quite often…a devastating injury, often misdiagnosed at first. Things such as hip labral tears in professional athletes are thought to just be groin strains, when in fact they are more serious.
Such scenario may be the case with Isaiah Thomas according to a recent article on ESPN.com. . According to the report he was injured during a critical game, noticeably unable to play, missing 2 games back in March, when with the Boston Celtics. At the time, the injury was reported to a right knee bone bruise. Thomas’s reported impingement and or labrum tear was not announced publically, until the athlete was recovering and eventually traded. His fate as an athlete is unknown due to this injury.
Often times patients don’t realize they have a labrum tear. Labrums are made of cartilage, which doesn’t have nerves to signal when something’s wrong. As opposed to bones breaking, or ligaments tearing. Having a torn labrum may eventually cause arthritis and cartilage damage. However, over time, the bones of the hip’s ball and socket joint grind together, because the labrum tissue starts to fray – this is when most athletes realize there is a serious issue.
In late May, Thomas revealed to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg that doctors have known for some time his hip bones are not normal. “Like I have an extra bone or something, like doctor talk,” Thomas said. “I don’t understand what they’re saying.”
If left untreated, the ball-and-socket fit together improperly, often causing severe pain and loss in motion. Often pain is experienced in the groin area, hence the common misdiagnosis for a groin strain.
Since 2010, there have been 13 documented surgeries to repair torn labrums in the hips of NBA players.
At Orthohealing, we look at all aspects of the body and understand that pain and an injury are not always what they seem. Although conventionally surgery may be suggested, here, in efforts of avoiding prolongs recovery & removing important tissue, we look at natural alternatives to surgery. We frequently recommend PRP or BMC injections to the hip joint in labrum tears on a case by case basis.
Contact us today if you are experiencing any pain, and want to understand the source of pain and review non-surgical options.
To read the interview by ESPN directly, click here.Â
