St. Louis Game Time discusses torn hip labrums, a common hip ailments for hockey players, with HSS sports medicine surgeon Struan H. Coleman, MD, PhD, in wake of St. Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella’s injury.

According to Dr. Coleman, who did not treat Scandella, “The most common hip injury that we see in athletes and particularly in hockey players is a torn hip labrum as a result of a condition called hip impingement or FAI. Hip impingement is defined as abnormal contact between the ball and socket of the hip joint. Young hockey players stress their growth plate at the top of the femur which causes a bony bump to form. This bony bump or CAM hits into the socket and damages both the labrum and eventually the cartilage of the socket.”

He continued, “Many NHL players have hip impingement that is asymptomatic. Hockey players with symptomatic hip impingement often try conservative management to avoid surgery and continue to play. Once conservative management of hip impingement fails and the player can no longer perform at a desired level then surgery is indicated. Arthroscopic surgery for hip impingement is successful 90% of the time in returning the player back to a desired level of play at an average of six months.”

Read the full article at Stlouisgametime.com.