[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A 28-year-old office worker surnamed Kim, who usually enjoyed futsal and weight training three to four times a week, felt a stabbing pain in his right groin after making a sudden change of direction during a game. At first, he assumed it was simple muscle soreness and kept exercising. But the pain returned when he stood up from a chair or climbed stairs, and he even felt a catching sensation deep in his buttock after sitting for long periods.
When the symptoms did not improve, he went to the hospital for tests and was diagnosed with a hip labral injury. The labrum is a cartilage structure that helps stabilize the hip joint, and it is often damaged by repeated twisting motions or femoroacetabular impingement.
When pain spreads from the lower back to the buttocks and thigh, many people immediately think of a herniated disc. In fact, a herniated disc can cause radiating pain down the leg, but similar symptoms can also appear in hip disorders. A herniated disc occurs when a spinal disc protrudes and compresses a nerve, causing lower back pain along with radiating pain that can extend to the buttocks, thigh, calf and foot.
A partial tear of the hip labrum occurs when the cartilage ring surrounding the hip joint is damaged. The most common symptom is deep groin pain, which can worsen when walking for long periods or climbing stairs. Patients may also feel catching sensations or hear clicking sounds, and bending to put on socks or shoes can become uncomfortable. There is usually little or no lower back pain, but the buttock and thigh pain can make it easy to mistake the condition for a herniated disc.
A herniated disc and a partial hip labral tear are distinguished through physical examination. The straight-leg raise test is a standard exam for diagnosing a herniated disc. With the patient lying down, medical staff slowly lift one leg. If lifting the leg causes numbness or pulling pain from the buttock down to the calf or foot, nerve compression from a herniated disc is suspected.
The hip impingement test is performed by bending the patient's hip and knee, then rotating the leg inward to see whether pain occurs. If deep groin pain appears, doctors may suspect an internal hip injury such as femoroacetabular impingement or a partial labral tear.
Kim Tae-hyung, section chief of the Lower Extremity Center in Orthopedic Surgery at Seran General Hospital, said, "If a physical exam suggests a hip disorder or if pain persists despite no clear abnormality on X-rays, we perform an MRI to assess whether the labrum is damaged." He added, "Treatment depends on the extent of the injury. In the early stages, we prescribe activity modification, medication and rehabilitation exercises. If symptoms continue or the tear is extensive, surgery is considered."
Kim Tae-hyung emphasized, "Hip labral injuries are not uncommon among people in their 20s to 50s who are highly active, but treatment is often delayed because the symptoms resemble those of a herniated disc. If you repeatedly feel groin pain when walking long distances or climbing stairs, or if you notice a catching sensation in the hip, do not dismiss it as simple fatigue."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
