With hip impingement treatment, your surgeon will reshape the junction between the head and neck of the femur using small mechanical resection devices called burrs. Performing this step as well as trimming any excessive portion of the acetabulum will give the joint more clearance, thus relieving the impingement. At various times during the surgery and immediately following it, your surgeon will test and monitor your hip's range of motion.
In this procedure, your surgeon will smooth the edges of the torn or frayed labrum using arthroscopic shaver blades or radiofrequency (RF) energy. Specially designed RF probes include flexible heads that allow your doctor to maneuver through difficult curves in the hip joint, remove torn tissue, and smooth the damaged areas. In some cases, the labrum may be repaired. For this procedure, anchors will be attached to the bone and sutures will be passed through the tissue. The anchors are used to hold the suture in place.
| EFLEX* Electrothermal* Probes from Smith & Nephew Endoscopy give surgeons access to anatomy that is difficult to reach with many conventional instruments. |  |
| Arthroscopic shaver blades and hadnpieces, like this one from Smith & nephew Endoscopy, are used to smooth the surface of joint tissue. |  |
To treat articular cartilage injuries, your surgeon will use an arthroscopic shaver blade to remove the damaged tissue, leaving a smooth, stable surface. Certain types of injuries may require treatment with microfracture. In this procedure, your surgeon will create a number of small holes in the exposed bone of the joint to induce bleeding and clotting, which also leads to new tissue growth. Studies indicate that in time, this new growth becomes firm tissue that is smooth and durable.
When removing loose bodies, your surgeon will first use the visibility provided by the arthroscope to inspect the joint. This inspection will help confirm the number of loose bodies and their location. Your surgeon will then retrieve and remove the loose bodies using specially designed hand instruments called graspers.