Labral Hip Injury among Rowers

Labral Hip Injury Common Among RowersDr. Robert Boykin and colleages (2013) published research in Clinical Orthopedics on hip injuries including labral hip injury among rowers.

Recognized as one of the first sports to be included in the Olympics, rowing is a rigorous sport where a team of racers in boats competes against other teams on rivers, lakes and even sometimes the ocean, using oars to propel the boats forward.

Analyzing data from 2003 through 2010, the analysis for this research included 21 hips. The average age of study participants was 18 ½ years old. The  majority of the sample (around 85%) was comprised of females. Many of the patients (over 70%) experienced some type of pain in their groin area.

Approximately 18 patients had arthroscopic surgery for this painful hip injury. Following surgery, 10 out of 18 returned to competitive rowing while the rest did not. Rowing requires a lot of repetitive motion in the hip. This repetitive motion can lead to an overuse injury like a labral hip injury.

Other athletes that may be vulnerable to labral tears in the hip area leading to labral hip injury include soccer, golf, ballet dancers and hockey players.

Pain is often the major symptom of a labral tear in the hip. Arthroscopic surgery is sometimes conducted in order to repair the labral tear on the hip or to get rid of any loose fragments inside the joint.

Researchers suggest that underlying anatomic abnormalities to the hip like Femoroacetabular impingement or FAI. It is likely that FAI may predispose some people to these types of hip injuries like labral hip injury.

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