r/hipdysplasia

32F, I’ve been in PT for 3.5 months for right hip pain and have had some considerable progress in functionality (less limping, use stairs). But it’s not quite where I want it to be in terms of pain and functionality. I also feel like I won’t have the freedom to move freely or return to sport. Left hip also has on and off pain as well.

The surgical route would be PAO + scope even though I’m borderline dysplastic. I’m really terrified of the surgery mostly due to potential complications and not knowing if my pain and functionality will improve. Asking advice on how you mentally prepped yourself and knew it was time?

So I had a PAO back in Jan 2026 (about 4 months ago) and then in May 2026 (9 days ago) I had the screws removed and a labrum repair (pincer deformity). My period came about 7-10 days earlier than normal and it was completely unexpected, like no pms or anything. I was wondering if anyone else had an irregular period following a hip scope / hip surgery? Did it arrive on time, earlier / later than expected? Any other weird changes? And did it get back on track the following cycle?

Hi all!!! I’m four days post op for a RPAO! My biggest challenge right now is rotating into/out of bed or off the couch once my legs are lifted (with support from my mom). Does anyone have any tips on how to make this easier? I find once my legs are high enough, I get stuck on whatever I’m sitting on and it’s hard to turn without pain. TIA!

About 3 years ago I took up running. After a few weeks I began noticing a tightness in my right groin after my runs, when weight bearing and walking. I thought it was a simple muscle strain and let it rest. I went to a physio who could not find any serious issues, I completed a strengthening rehab programme but it took several months for the pain/discomfort to go away completely.

1.5 years passed with no issues, I returned to the gym, rock climbing, skiing and even squash. But then, doing a HYROX workout after a few hundred metres of running, I felt the tightness and discomfort return to my right hip.

I have been to multiple physios who cannot seem to diagnose where the pain is coming from. I have completed more rehab however it only seems to make the symptoms worse. I have a deep ache or feeling of pressure in my groin area. A lot of times it feels like I need to crack my hip to release tension, sometimes during walking and lifting the knee I do feel a small crack in the groin. The pain also seems to radiate to my upper thigh muscles, they often feel very tight and tender. My right quad seems to have a constant dull ache after any type of activity even light walking, this aching in my quad is made worse during any type of rehab.

Eventually I got an MRI which showed completely clear EXCEPT a finding of mild bilateral hip dysplasia. I took the results to multiple physios but none think the finding explains my symptoms or is particularly relevant. Although when I research even mild bilateral hip dysplasia online, the findings are extremely upsettings. FAI, laberal tears, arthritis, chronic pain and a lack of succesfull surgery options.

Im extremely taken aback and upset. I have no official diagnosis yet it seems like whatever is causing my hip discomfort will be very sinister and affect my for the rest of my life.

Can anyone provide any guidance or support?

First time Mom here, first Reddit post, but I’m looking for ideas and support for my daughter. She was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia on the left at 6 months old (they missed it) and didn’t get into a Pavlik Harness until 7 months, then they tried the rhino brace, and now at 9 months are going to do a closed reduction with a possibility of opening her up for a tendon release. It’s going to happen sometime between now and her 1 yr birthday.

Tips, advice, helpful products, PT, etc are welcomed!

Hi everyone, new here, but I have just had my appointment Friday which confirmed that I have hip dysplasia - my socket is “in the wrong place” not by much but the ortho says its too much bone at the front and not enough at the back?

I have had hip pain with my hips locking out or getting stuck for over a decade, I’m mid twenties now. But the last three or four years it’s felt like my hips are grinding and aggravated. I can’t stand still long, museums are a place of joy for me and I cannot get through an exhibit without that pain flaring up. Queuing for a table? No, I have to go find a bench and hope whoever I’m with is cool with holding a space in line for me.

Now, I have been doing strength training for my hips for 2 ish years now. Not any improvement.

The ortho was pretty good compared to previous orthos (fasciotomy and calf release surgeries already) but he did keep trying to put me off the op.

I’m now worried, and reading this subreddit has been mixed. What encouraging words do you all have? Rewind to 3/4 months pre op and what do you wish you did differently? Was it worth it? How far into post op before you felt that way?

More specifically I don’t know how to manage this with work. I work from home, I have a desk that can go up and down and a sofa bed. Do you think 4 weeks off is enough? I know it’s individual experiences but just looking for some ideas.

What do I absolutely need to get before I get under the saw? I’m looking at over bed table but my bed has no gap for wheels. And also looking at things for around the house like grab bars but I rent and have a small house so a frame may not help much. Stairs?? Also.

What were your preferred positions for rest? I sleep sideways but looks like l will need to be a back sleeper?

36F, having my PAO in a month. What are the key items you wish you had or youd highly recommended during your recovery that made (or would have made) your life/recovery so much easier? Trying to get some things now so that myself or my partner is are not scrambling after the surgery. Appreciate and tips, advice & recommendations! Thank you in advance!

hello all! long story short, i’ve always always had hip pain. Over the past year it got much worse. pain in groin, lateral hip but also terrible in back and glutes. My MRI revealed a torn and detached labrum, labral cysts, chronically torn ligamentum teres, gluteal tendinopathy, IT band syndrome and bursitis. I saw a hip preservation specialist at HSS thinking I was going for an arthroscopic consult to repair my labrum. He said I have hip dysplasia and why my labrum is torn but not a candidate for arthroscopy. my LCEA measured at 18. I am in my late 30s and he recommended that I do conservative care with shots and PT, not an PAO until a hip replacement likely in my 40s, but no arthritis yet. I got a 3D CT scan and my LCEA on that was 23. to me this is a huge difference. which one is more accurate and which should I believe? I am planning on getting a second opinion with Dr. Nawabi at HSS to see if arthroscopy is on the table at all. hard to accept that I have to live like this for more years until a replacement. any insight is appreciated thanks!!

Hello everyone.

I’ve recently found out I have bilateral hip dysplasia for seeing an orthopedic surgeon. I’m been struggling with pain for weeks untill I saw a physio that said he suspected arthritis. This pushed me to see the surgeon. Luckily there isn’t any established arthritis in the joints but would need a MRI to know the extent of damage.

A week later I found out I’m nearly 9 weeks pregnant, which I suspect has exasperated my symptoms.

I can’t walk very far and I’m in loads of pain. Has anyone had any experience with this situation. Im doing physio but I feel like this is making it worse.

Baths help a lot and calm the muscles.

Any advise would be welcomed

Thanks in advance ❤️

Hi everyone! I’m brand new here and honestly still trying to process all of this.

I’m 45 and was recently diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia, along with CAM impingement and a fairly significant labral tear in my right hip. Until now, no one had ever caught the dysplasia, which has been a huge surprise, especially since I fractured this same hip in my 20s and had scans done at that time.

The surgeon I saw essentially gave me three options:

1. Hip arthroscopy only to repair the labral tear and address the impingement, but because of the dysplasia, my surgeon believes it will eventually fail over time and ultimately lead to a hip replacement anyway. He estimated I might buy somewhere between 1–10 years with that approach.
2. A PAO combined with arthroscopy. The surgeon said this is more complex at my age and even described me as “geriatric” for the procedure, which honestly scared me. He explained that recovery could take longer, and there’s a risk the bone may not heal properly, potentially leading to additional complications like a bone graft.
3. A total hip replacement now.

I’m active and otherwise healthy. Before this became severe, I was lifting weights 5–6 days a week, walking 10K+ steps a day, and teaching yoga. Movement is an important part of my life, so I’m working on getting multiple opinions before making such a major decision.

I’m also in perimenopause and very aware that these are important years for building and maintaining muscle and bone. Part of me is tempted to do the arthroscopy only so I can have a shorter recovery and hopefully stay active longer in the near term. But another part of me wants to try to preserve my own hip for as long as possible, even knowing the risks and intensity of a PAO.

At the same time, I’m honestly scared by how major the surgery sounds: the long and painful recovery, the possibility of complications, and the idea of being on heavy pain medication for an extended period.

I would really love to hear from anyone who had a successful PAO later in life, especially in your early-to-mid 40s. How was recovery? Was it worth it? How are you doing now?

And if you chose another route instead, I’d love to hear about that experience too! I’m honestly terrified of making a choice I'll regret later, especially since it feels almost impossible to predict how any of these outcomes will ultimately play out for me.

Thank you so much. I already feel less alone having found this community. :)

hi everyone,

im about 13 weeks out from labral repair with FAI reconstruction in my left hip. I went back to work this week (as a nurse) and have overall felt pretty sore/achy. today I tried doing hip adductors and the weight I’ve been tolerating and immediately felt a painful pop/snap in my groin almost at my pelvic bone and am having burning in my inner thigh.

i dont think I messed up the surgery but has anyone had this happen?

I’d love to hear your experience with pain if you have borderline dysplasia with a tear and have been doing PT at least 6 months or more and have avoided surgery so far. How are you doing in terms of pain? Are you still considering surgery?

I’m borderline dysplastic with a tear. Little to no impingement. 3.5 months into PT and have gained more functionality like from not being able to walk out of the house to walking 3k steps per day. Less knee pain and general ache down maybe ~20%. However cshape ache, hip flexion pain, and new groin / hamstring pain persists. Looking to avoid PAO if possible.

I just had my appointment at HSS and have been trying to get a PAO. Has anyone had an issue doing surgery because of their BMI? I’m 5’4 190 pounds and I was 245 when I started losing weight. My BMI is roughly 32. I am probably less than 190 now as it’s been a few weeks since I checked. The doctor said i definitely need a PAO asap. I’m at the point where I can’t walk at all. But he won’t do it until I’m under 30 BMI. How do I lose 10 more pounds unable to move at all? I eat well and diet already

Hi, everyone!

My right hip labrum tear was diagnosed via T3 MRI about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I’m waiting to see a hip preservation specialist (I just started a new job and have to wait for my insurance coverage to start). I don’t have a confirmed dysplasia diagnosis, but it looks likely based on my x-rays. I am hypermobile, no EDS that I’m aware of.

I’m currently in PT and I think it’s going well. I’ve complained to my PT about more of my pain being in the surrounding muscles. One super annoying place I get pain in my low abs on the right side, like below my belly button and above the pubis.

I had an ultrasound done when I initially had pain there and they didn’t find anything, so my PT thinks it’s compensatory pain. I feel it most when going to sit down/stand up.

Does anyone else have this? It’s currently the most annoying/painful area for me. It’s fine in the morning but ramps up throughout the day. Better when laying down.

I'm sharing this because when I was researching hip arthroscopy combined with femoral osteotomy, I had such a hard time finding real patient experiences and information about what to expect. If this helps even one person going through the same thing, it's worth posting

My pre-surgery scans showed bilateral cam-type FAI (femoroacetabular impingement), with my right side being worse. My femoral anteversion was off (28° on the right vs 18° on the left), and I had some acetabular overcoverage issues.

I had a hip arthroscopy on Oct 22nd to address the impingement and fix my labrum then proximal femoral osteotomy on Nov 7th to realign my femur. They put in an intramedullary nail and screws to hold everything in place while it heals.

I’m 6 months post-op now, no pain, walking without crutches but steal doing PT, working on my strenght and gait too.

Really grateful for this community because reading other people’s experiences helped me feel a lot less alone through all of this. Happy to answer questions or hear from anyone who’s gone through osteotomy + scope recovery too. The Femoral Osteotomy Support group was also really useful once I knew I was going that route.

Having my surgery this summer and they told me to expect 3-5 day stay at the hospital and was wondering what everyone recommends for clothes. I have a bunch of Aerie joggers and shorts as well as some bamboo pj sets from Quince but idk. Any other recs for what I should bring to the hospital that's not clothing recs are welcome too.

I’m not even gonna lie, part of what pushed me away from being a huge J. Cole fan isn’t even just Cole himself anymore, it’s the fanbase too.

For years Cole built this image of being humble, mature, relatable, conscious, all that. And I get why people connected with it because compared to a lot of mainstream rappers he came off more grounded and genuine. But after a while it started feeling like people weren’t treating him like a rapper anymore, they were treating him like some morally perfect figure that’s above criticism.

And that’s where I started looking at him differently.

Because if you really pay attention, Cole still participates in rap competition, throws little shots, pushes narratives about being one of the greatest, and clearly cares about legacy and perception like every other major artist does. But whenever things get uncomfortable or too messy, it feels like he shifts back into the “I’m above this” role, and the fanbase instantly reframes it as wisdom or maturity no matter what.

That’s why the “fake humble” criticism exists in the first place.

Not because people think he’s secretly some terrible person, but because sometimes the humility itself feels curated. Like he understands exactly how people see him and leans into that image hard. The whole “realest conscious rapper” thing started feeling less natural and more like part of the brand over time.

And honestly the glazing made it worse. With some Cole fans, you can’t even have a normal discussion without people acting like you just insulted their savior. Everything becomes:

“you don’t understand him”

“he’s too evolved for rap”

“he’s the only real artist left”

After a while that actually made me enjoy the music less because the discourse around him got so self-righteous.

I still think Cole is talented. He’s got classic songs, great storytelling, and he’s obviously one of the better rappers of his generation. But I also think people are finally realizing he’s way more calculated and image-aware than his fanbase used to admit, and once you notice it, it’s hard to unsee.

Good morning!

I had a labral repair/femoralplasty a year and a half ago and am scheduled for PAO surgery in a few months. Has anyone had both? What are the differences in recovery for you personally? Luckily I kept all the crutches, grabbers, etc from the last surgery. Any advice helpful. Thanks!

Has anyone seen Dr. Sink at HSS? I just saw dr. Nawabi and he was amazing. He wants to schedule surgery for the labral tear but referred me to Dr. sink to do a pao. I’m not very familiar with this and wondering if anyone has experience to share about dr sink. Thanks!