About Hip Dysplasia

In acetabular dysplasia the hip socket is poorly developed, resulting in a socket that is shallow and shaped like a saucer, rather than a cup. The top of the socket is obliquely inclined, and incompletely covers the ball. This results in abnormally high stress on the outer edge of the socket (also called acetabulum) and leads to early damage to the acetabular articular cartilage (white substance on the end of a chicken bone) or the adjacent acetabular labrum. The labrum is a soft tissue bumper that attaches to the rim of the socket. Once this damage occurs, people often begin experiencing hip pain.

Most people with acetabular dysplasia do not have hip pain during childhood, but many develop pain during adolescence and early adulthood. The pain is typically dull and achy and may be in the groin, side of hip or buttock. Occasionally patients will feel sharp catching pain along with the aching pain.

A hip dysplasia diagnosis is confirmed with an x-ray. An MRI or MRI arthrogram (MRI with dye placed in the hip joint) can assess the condition of the joint cartilage and labrum.

Help is available if you have hip dysplasia — learn more about your treatment options.

To learn more about hip dysplasia, visit the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

After many years of right hip pain, I noticed a decline in my mobility when I began falling while performing everyday activities like mowing the grass or going on a walk. My doctor recommended physical therapy, which did not help. I then sought the advice of an orthopedic specialist who gave me a cortisone injection. Unfortunately, this did not provide any relief either. Eventually, I ended up having an MRI to examine my hip and was told that a full tear in my gluteus minimus had been the source of my pain for all these years! The orthopedic specialist advised that the tear could not be fixed and that I would need to rely on a cane for the rest of my life. At 62 years old, this was not an acceptable answer to me, so I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Thomas Ellis at Orthopedic ONE for a second opinion. After a successful surgical repair on Feb 13, 2017, my recovery is right on schedule according to Dr Ellis, Tiffany his Physician Assistant and Dave Kohlrieser my Physical Therapist. After years of restless nights, I can now sleep soundly without pain. In addition to my physical therapy sessions, walking in the pool at the Grove City YMCA has been a great way to build strength in my leg. I hope to give up my cane within the next few weeks and ride my bicycle by the end of the summer!

Thanks to Dr Ellis and the staff at Orthopedic ONE for giving me my active life back!!

Monica Walter

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My daughter, who was 14 at the time, was having hip pain during volleyball season in the fall of 2019. After volleyball, she was in extreme pain and it was making her life difficult.

We took her to a doctor who said she had snapping hip syndrome and needed physical therapy. After a few weeks, her therapist was not satisfied with her progression and recommended that she have an MRI. Once the MRI was complete, the doctor couldn't find any aliments aside from snapping hip and said if she was having more pain she could try injections. I was not thrilled with the idea of my 14-year old daughter getting injections.

Our therapist recommended making an appointment with Dr. Thomas Ellis to get a second opinion. Dr. Ellis looked at the same MRI images as the first doctor and could see that she had slight hip dysplasia which caused her to have snapping hip, CAMs, and a torn labrum. Dr. Ellis and his team performed surgery on her right hip at Dublin Methodist Hospital in January 2020, and she was able to play volleyball in the fall of 2020. Dr. Ellis performed the same procedure on her left hip in October 2020. She is about a month or so away from recovery and heading on to do great things without pain!

Thank God for second opinions, Dr. Ellis, and his amazing team!

Anonymous

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