I’m 28 F, very active, having hip arthroscopy and osteoplasty. I have a WFH job as a graphic designer and took one week of work off post op. (Im tight on PTO this year.) I’m starting to overthink and wondering if this is giving myself enough time off. I have no idea what I’ll be feeling like, what kind of movement I can do after a week, and how much pain I’ll be in. What are your experiences?
Hello! I am having surgery on Friday for FAI/labral tear. I am 25 this month and have been riding for about 19 years. Been riding much less over the last two years due to pain and some other health issues. I primarily ride dressage. Are there other equestrians that have had this surgery? How long did it take for you to start riding again?
Hi everyone,
I’m currently 10 days post op after a hip arthroscopy for FAI and a labral tear, and I’m getting a bit confused about what I should and shouldn’t be doing during physical therapy.
So far, I’ve been mostly using pain as my guide. The good news is that I’m relatively pain free during most exercises. However, I’ve recently read that pain alone isn’t always a good indicator because you might overload the healing tissues without realizing it.
For example, on my CPM machine I can comfortably go past 90 degrees of hip flexion, and I don’t have any increased pain the next day. But now I’m wondering whether that means it’s actually safe, or if I should still limit my ROM despite feeling fine.
I’m looking for advice from people who have been through a similar recovery.
A few questions:
What are the biggest dos and don’ts during the first few weeks after surgery?
Were there any exercises or movements you later realized you should have avoided?
Did you follow pain as your guide, or did you stick strictly to your surgeon’s protocol even if you felt capable of doing more?
Does anyone have a structured week by week rehab plan that worked well for them?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. I want to recover as well as possible and avoid doing something that could compromise the repair, even if it feels okay in the moment.
Thanks!
I’ve been still steadily getting back into my normal exercise routine over the last 6 months but I feel like every time I make a little forward progress my hip flares up again. I had my hip impingement repaired along with labrum graft, hip flexor extension, etc back in August 2025.
My nurse at my last appt said that after I hit one year I’ll probably magically start feeling better. I figure she’s full of it, but how many people are a year post op and have your flare ups stopped?
Hi all. I’ve been battling SI joint and hip pain for years now. I went to different PT who only focused on the lumbar. Recently, I found an awesome PT who told me it was my hips. I went to a hip specialist and imaging found femoral retroversion, SI joint sclerosis, labral tears in both hips and a glute tear. Now the want to do surgery to fix my femoral and labral tears, which will help the stress on my SI joints allegedly.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? How was the surgery and recovery? What can I best do to prepare for it. I’ve been in excruciating pain for so long. I’ve tried so much PT and injections. Idk what to do anymore
I'll be having surgery on my left hip in 10 days. Surgeon is not sure what he'll do until he gets in there but MRI says "Complex contrast filling tear at the anterosuperior left hip labrum and subchondral cyst. Surgery noted as "Left Hip Arthroscopic Acetabuloplasty, Femoroplasty, and Labral Repair vs Labral Reconstruction with Fascia Lata Allograft".
I've got my crutches and a cane. 4pk of large soft gel ice packs. All kinds of pillows including a wedge. Shower has built-in bench. I have a nice ergo seat cushion with tailbone and pelvic bone contour for the car. I still need to pick up a sitting foot pedal for ROM exercises. What other items did you find helpful in recovery?
Im having surgery July 20th and I WFH. I have heard that sitting can cause people issues for months. Is it possible to work from my bed full time after 2 weeks ? I can tilt my bed up so im not laying flat. I feel like even if this is doable, rehab and movement are a fulltime job (getting up every hour, tummy time, PT appointments, etc). Am i being overly optimistic ? Looking for anyone to share their experiences. Thank you!
Sometimes something as simple as sleeping funny causes me to have a pulled muscle. 😂 the easiest way to sleep is on my back. But sometimes ill have a hamstring pain or adductor pain the next day if I sleep funny
Does a hip flexor injury come on slow like this? I’m extremely worried about this potentially being a serious injury. We cannot afford this and will lose everything. We are planning on going to the doctor on Monday , but I’m thinking we should go to the ER. Is a hip flexor injury this painful and can they come on so slowly ? Thanks.
36F, 30 days post-op, 8mm full-thickness labral repair and femoroplasty.
I wish my protocol had been to stay on crutches completely for at least two weeks post-op. I see now that my surgeon is liberal in the mindset of “you can’t mess up your surgery.” This is a renowned surgeon at a metropolitan university hospital in the U.S.
My protocol was to weight bear as soon as I wanted and start PT 3-5 days post op. The care team assured me that anything I do would just be a pain tolerance thing and couldn’t screw up the repair. No running up mountains, of course, but do whatever I want.
I was off crutches on Day 3 and PTing at home every day thereafter. Day 5 I walked four miles for fun. I was feeling good other than mild aching. Day 12 arrives and I have my first PT appointment. Mind you, the PT I had been rehabbing the injury with the last several months quit and so I had to begin from scratch with someone new at a different facility. The new therapist is fresh out of college and tells me in the evaluation to do a deep squat. I told him absolutely not. As the session wears on, he’s having me do all sorts of single leg weight bearing stuff on my operated hip. Red flag city. Next day I wake up in excruciating pain and things have been going downhill since then.
I had an emergency virtual consult with my surgeon as I live 3,000 miles from him. He ordered X-rays, and told me to go back to bed rest & full crutches for the next two weeks. He gets the xray back and calls me at 10pm from his personal cell: “I need you to go to the ER and get a CT scan right now. I believe you’ve broken your hip.” CT scan comes back negative for broken hip, thank god. But what a roller coaster. Now I’m awaiting the final step, an MRI in mid-July to complete the story.
I’m in the middle of bed rest and the pain is so much worse than it ever was prior to surgery. I’ve been reading the stories on Reddit about failed surgeries and never returning to once-beloved sports/activities. This seems more than a “flare up.” It throbs and twisting even a centimeter the wrong way sends me doubled over in pain.
I cannot afford for this surgery to have messed me up forever. My job is completely physical and my happiness depends on biking, running, hockey, and yoga.
Am I screwed up forever? I’m so scared - it wasn’t supposed to go this way.
I’m 32F with bilateral FAI and a labral tear. I’m currently pre-op and am being assessed for surgery, but my hips are oddly shaped (my consultant isn’t sure if it’s dysplasia or just weird looking) so surgery is looking like it’s going to be a while away. I feel like this post comes across as ‘woe is me’ but any ideas or solutions I’d really appreciate ❤️
I live on my own and really struggle with bending over and standing for longer periods of time. As a result, I’m really struggling to do housework. I can keep on top of the bare minimum like washing clothes and dishes, but anything more than that is a struggle.
I try to pace myself but just doing 15 minutes causes me a lot of pain, even if I take painkillers. I’ve not had a home cooked meal in months and pretty much live off ready meals and foods that are easy to make quickly. I’ve had help from friends in the past but I feel guilty asking too often. My flat is looking dreadful and it’s getting me down.
Has anyone else have/had this issue too? Do you have any advice on ways I can make this easier for me? My flat isn’t tidy enough for a cleaner, and honestly I’d be ashamed for them to see it in this state to start with. I’ve thought about getting a grabber (like a litter picker) but not sure that would be beneficial.
Thank you ☺️
Hey everyone,
I’m 8 days away from hip arthroscopy, and honestly, I’m starting to panic a bit about whether I’m making the right decision. I’d really appreciate hearing from people who had similar symptoms, especially if your pain was intermittent or not severe all the time.
I’ve had hip pain for about two and a half years. It started after a period of intense physical activity, a lot of dancing, and also after some long sex sessions that seemed to really aggravate the hip.
At the beginning, I had a big flare-up. I was limping for around two weeks, then the pain slowly started to settle down. After that, I began getting scans and seeing different surgeons.
The first MRIs suggested a worn or degenerative labrum, mild CAM impingement, and an alpha angle of around 70 degrees. The surgical opinions were mixed. Some surgeons were convinced the labrum was torn, even though the tear was not completely obvious on the MRI. Others thought it might be better to wait and not rush into surgery.
Over time, I have gradually improved, which is exactly why this decision feels so difficult now.
At the moment, I don’t have constant pain. I mainly get pain with running and cycling, but even that is inconsistent. Some days I have to stop cycling after two minutes. Other days I can ride for 15 minutes and feel almost fine. I honestly don’t understand the pattern.
I also get a little pain when walking, especially when I first start walking after sitting for a while, but it usually fades quickly once I get moving. I have absolutely no pain sitting, sleeping, or resting.
My latest MRI shows damage in the chondrolabral area and possibly a tiny/millimetric labral tear. My local surgeon wants to operate because he thinks there may be early chondral delamination, especially around the chondrolabral junction, with grade 1–2 type damage.
So now I’m stuck in this weird place mentally: part of me thinks, “Maybe I should fix this before it gets worse,” and another part of me thinks, “What if I’m about to have surgery when my symptoms are not even that bad anymore?”
Has anyone here gone into surgery with symptoms like this — pain mainly with running/cycling, some startup pain when walking, but no pain at rest or sitting?
Did surgery help you?
Or did anyone cancel/postpone surgery because things had improved, and later feel that was the right or wrong decision?
I know nobody can make the decision for me, but I’d really value hearing real experiences from people who’ve been through this.
For those who had a labral hip repair surgery, were you given thigh high compression socks/stockings, or knee compression socks/stockings? My surgeon ordered one pair of thigh highs (I wish he would've at least given me two pairs), and the hospital gave me knee highs (they placed one pair at the hospital day of surgery, and gave me one pair to take home). I'm 8 days post op and have been wearing the knee highs, but thought maybe I should switch to thigh highs since that's what the doctor ordered for me and it might give more coverage to the femoral veins in regards to DVTs/PEs. I wasn't given instructions as to how long I'd be wearing them (in terms of weeks).
Another thing they didn't explain to me was taking Naproxen. I thought it was just for pain, as needed. Now reading through some experiences, it's prophylaxis to prevent heterotopic ossification. I'm 8 days post op, but haven't been taking it as directed on the bottle. Obviously, now I know better from reading people's experiences on reddit.
Input about the socks/stockings from those who have been through this process would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi everyone! I'd like to hear about similar cases to mine. I've been diagnosed with FAI and a labral tear in my left hip (although according to my radiologist, my MRI showed everything was fine). The thing is, my biggest symptom and limitation is external rotation. In other words, the FABER test is very painful for me. I can't cross my left leg over my right. From what I've read, most people with FAI have problems with internal rotation, not external rotation. Is anyone else in my situation? I'd like to know how things have progressed, if you had surgery, and if it was successful. Thanks!
Hello 🙂 so I’ve been dealing with what I thought was a hip flexor issue for over a year now.. turns out it’s actually a torn labral. 5 different PT’s over roughly 15 months, all just causing pain and symptoms to worsen.
Doctor says I also have impingement in both hips (FAI) but I have no pain at all in my right, only left. I’ve been skating over 20 years, I know exactly when I tore the labrum (landed a trick going very fast, lost balance, and bailed off my board in a weird unbalance run. Thought I pulled my hip flexor and immediately couldn’t lift my leg up)
Has anyone had labrum repair WITHOUT hip impingement repair ? Doctor says the impingement is what caused the tear, but it’s been over 20 years and I’ve never had this problem until now. I’m unsure I want to shave my femur bone down on both sides if it’s unnecessary. Please share your surgery experience details / recovery experience thanks !!!!
That's it, that's the post, just a whine for a second. I want to streeeeeeetch, I want to rotate, I want to wiggle and do all the things hips do. The feeling of needing it is so strong. I wish I had 15 minutes of PT every day just for the passive mobilization. I convinced my husband to do a tiny little bit and then burst into tears of relief after. This is my 3rd go-round, I knew what to expect, and uggggh I still hate the amount of patience this recovery requires!!
I got a labral repair and a few other things. My pain has been very manageable. I’ve been moving pretty well. I’m on crutches and using a hip brace. Today I just feel uncomfortable, achy and just having a bad day. My quad just also feels tight. My hip feels tight. There’s no sharp pains, just a lot of aches. Is it normal to all of a sudden have a bad day? It just feels discouraging.
I had the surgery today around 12. I had a torn labrum and a CAM impingement (m30). I have had issues with getting pain meds from the pharmacy so I’m running off just the anesthesia. I am in pretty manage pain if any at all. I have been able to weight-bear much more than I thought. The ICE machine has been super clutch and amazing. I say this not to brag, but I want to be a positive beacon. I feel lots of relief in my hip and look forward to the recovery moving forward!
Jag skadade mig våren 2025 när jag skulle bromsa en tungt lastad vagn genom att sätta ned foten i marken. Kände att nånting brast i ljumskregionen. Fortsatte att försöka leva som vanligt men smärtan gick inte över. Efter några veckor utvecklade jag dessutom smärtor runt om höften, framförallt iliopsoas och rectus femoris och TFL. Jag älskar vandring och badminton. Vandringen kunde jag fortsätta med, med smärta. Badminton helt omöjligt. Saker blev progressivt värre under sommaren 2025.
Jag sökte mig till en höftläkare specialiserad på artroskopi, i mitt land finns ungefär en handfull sådana. Jag kom ditt med min egen diagnos, en labrumskada, och gick därifrån med hans diagnos, en ruptur på iliopsoas. En MRI beställdes och det konstaterades ödem kring iliopsoas och rectus femoris samt en cm labrumskada. Han spelade ned betydelsen av labrumskadan och menade att den kan ha inträffat tidigare och inte är symptomatisk. Ruptur på iliopsoas men även rectus femoris var diagnosen. Jag fick en kur nsaid och remiss till fysio.
Nsaid hjälpte ingenting, inte heller fysio. Snarare gjorde övningarna saker värre. Jag fick en remiss till en diagnostisk injektion i höftleden. Ingen lättnad alls från den. Jag fick senare en injektion i iliopsoas, också den helt verkningslös.
Nu hade det gått till våren 2026 och saker hade blivit mycket värre. Inte med ljumsksmärtan, men med alla andra sekundära smärtor kring höften. Jag kunde inte vara aktiv alls. Allt jag tog mig för gjorde ont. Att stå upp, att gå, att rotera kroppen. Springa och hoppa helt otänkbart. Att ligga ned ännu ok, och jag kunde sova helt ok. Men det var dags att söka en second opinion. Jag trodde själv hela tiden att mitt trasiga labrum var bekymret, orsaken till allt elände.
Jag sökte mig till en vanlig höftortoped som skickade mig vidare till en idrottsläkare som misstänkte idrottsbråck. Vidare till en gastrokirurg som på under en minut kunde konstatera idrottsbråck från skadan, men även dubbelsidigt vanligt ljumskbråck. Jag fick en remiss till operation för dessa bråck och väntar nu på den.
Jag skriver detta för att understryka hur viktigt det är att noggrannt undersöka varifrån problemet kommer innam ingrepp görs, och detta problem kan vara oerhört svårt att få rätt diagnosticerat. För mig tog det 13 månader. Den värsta tiden i mitt liv, både fysiskt och mentalt. Jag hoppas bli bra nu, men det återstår att se.
Jag säger inte att labrumskador inte är symptomatiska. Absolut inte. Jag vet att de kan vara det. Men i mitt fall var det inte så, en reparation hade inte hjälpt mig. Problemet var inte alls där, trots att jag var helt säker på det.
I am one week post labral hip repair surgery, and it's been okay pain wise. Off narcotics and mostly just icing and Tylenol as needed. I'm 25% weight bearing with a walker, but have been trying to keep it less than 25%. I'm paranoid if I'm going to make a wrong move or pivot the wrong way. I'm trying my best.
My TMI question is, would it be okay to self pleasure, one week out? I'm a female, and I'm just thinking position wise, staying on my back, operated leg straight and non operated leg doing whatever range of motion it needs to position to get comfortable. I plan to make it as short as possible. I don't really want to message my surgeon this question, would rather ask the masses that have been through this. I'd really like to, but also I'm scared to mess up the repair. Appreciate any input, thanks!