Hip Labral Tear
8 Sep
After two weeks of uncertainty, excessive (mind-numbing, going-absolutely-crazy-sitting-alone-in-my-apartment) rest, and a scary MRI (involving a very long needle to inject contrast dye directly into my hip joint), I finally have a diagnosis: hip labral tear. The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the hip joint. Since the blood supply to the area is very limited, injuries to the cartilage are permanent. It’s possible that with additional rest, the injury will become asymptomatic with time. However, if things do not get better, it’s likely that I’ll need surgery in order to return to my former activity levels.
The good news is that the doctor has cleared me to hike/run as much as is tolerable. As of this morning, I’m able to walk with only very slight pain, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to do a small hike this coming weekend. Running is still out of the question, though.
At this point, I’m hoping that I’ll recover to the point of not needing surgery. That being said, I’m not sure if I could exist happily with the thought of never being able to run nor hike long distances ever again. I’m at a bit of a loss for what to do, but perhaps it’s too early to be worrying about these sorts of things.
Larisa,
I found your hiking blog a few months ago and thought it was really interesting and pretty awesome about all the long hikes you go on. I hope your hip condition improves and you’ll be back on the trails doing more kick-butt hikes in the near future!
-Chris
Hi Larisa. Do you or your doctor have an idea of how you sustained this awful injury? Was it the result of an accumulation of little things over time, or was there a fall or bump or something? In any case, I know you'll do everything and more to get yourself back into the mountains as soon as possible and wise, and I hope that time is soon indeed.
/Steve
P.S. "Steve" aka The Feathered Hat on VFTT and Rocks.