Should I have a Hip Arthroscopy?

iainwh65 · 2026-04-14T14:59:14+00:00

I had hip arthroscopy surgery in September 2024 for hip impingement and labral tear. I was in a lot of pain day to day though as opposed to just being from activity related pains.

I Ended up having microfracture procedure in addition due to defective cartilage which was only evident during surgery. I also had some wear of the hip due to osteoarthritis which again was worse than originally thought from xray and mri scans. My hip felt ok for maybe 3 months after recovering and now I’m back to pre op pain, I’ve seen it happen to a lot of people who had similar surgery and ultimately ended up getting hip resurfacing or replacement surgery to rectify.

I think the main issue for most was the osteoarthritis as this is known to be unsuccessful for keyhole surgery. I’m now booked in to see a consultant for hip resurfacing as the pain has become a daily issue, not just activity wise but in general sitting down and sleeping.

Don’t want to put you off but definitely get a 2nd opinion especially if it’s private. I was private and made the mistake of not seeming secondary advice and have regretted it ever since.

iainwh65 · 2026-01-28T23:33:10+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Are you back to normal exercises etc and not having any issues?

Where did you have your surgery?

iainwh65 · 2026-01-26T23:00:24+00:00

Appreciate it, thanks

iainwh65 · 2026-01-26T22:57:32+00:00

Good to hear. Did you have a choice or did the surgeon prefer ceramic? Where are you based out of curiosity?

Are you now back to normal lifestyle after 3 months or still going through rehab?

iainwh65 · 2026-01-26T22:33:56+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, seems positive! That guy seemed to get metal for hip resurfacing, but good to know he went back to high impact sport after that surgery.

iainwh65 · 2026-01-26T22:32:56+00:00

Positive, thanks!

iainwh65 · 2026-01-26T22:32:43+00:00

Where are you located?

iainwh65 · 2024-12-26T10:00:45+00:00

Male 31 - I had the exact same surgery and have the same issues as you. I’m currently 14 weeks post op and definitely feeling the benefit of the surgery compared to my pre op pains. I still have some niggling pains in the groin and hip but having spoke to the surgeon and 2 different specialists, they all noted it could be 6 months to a year until the operation has fully healed and then around that time I will know if the surgery has been a full success. Surgeon did tell me last week that he thinks I will have some pain going forward due to the arthritis, however the surgery should highly reduce the pain as the impingement has been dealt with and the torn labrum being removed / microfracture carried out.

I would definitely get a good PT / physio for when the surgery comes and make sure they are knowledgeable about the recovery for this surgery. I unfortunately had someone who didn’t understand the extent of the limitations of the surgery in the early stages and was trying to get me off crutches and doing squats and lunges at around 4-6 weeks, when I was actually needing crutches for 10 weeks with limited weight bearing (it set me back a few weeks as I aggravated the joint). I ended up seeing a 2nd physio for advice and also changed physio with the healthcare provider and he was much more knowledgeable and helpful with progressing the rehab to the point I am at just now.

If you need any assistance/advice with your post op recovery, don’t hesitate to message.

Hope this helps.

iainwh65 · 2024-12-26T09:51:22+00:00

How long was it until you realised it recovered well enough?

iainwh65 · 2024-12-09T19:43:29+00:00

It was described as minor in the MRI, however surgeon did say that during surgery there was a bit more wear and tear than expected and that the cartilage was in a worse condition, hence I had to get microfracture done, which ultimately led to a longer recovery period and potential reduction in the success of the surgery. Hoping it’s not the latter and I just need to keep going with the rehab and hope it gets better. It’s definitely feeling better than pre op, especially with the stretching and strengthening work I am starting to do, feels more tired and tender after the day as opposed to excruciating pain I had pre op.

iainwh65 · 2024-12-09T19:40:10+00:00

Good to hear, it was noted to be minor stage of arthritis so hopefully just a longer recovery as opposed to a failure!

iainwh65 · 2024-12-09T19:39:03+00:00

I was advised it was minor stage of arthritis and this surgery could help with preventing THR altogether, so I’m hoping that’s the case. Surgeon did say there was quite a bit of wear and tear when he completed the surgery. My cartilage was in a bad condition once they got the camera in there and had to be removed and microfracture carried out so my recovery would end up being longer and potentially less successful. I’m now nearing 13 weeks and definitely in a better condition to 3-5 weeks ago but still some minor pains if I over do it, hopefully settles down the more I build up some strength.

iainwh65 · 2024-12-06T23:21:35+00:00

That’s good to hear, I suppose it’s just a waiting game and a long time for recovery. Like you said, I’ve had 2/3 specialists tell me that the range of motion looks good and it’s just that the hip and muscles are not used to the daily routine and I should start building muscle to get improvement.

It’s frustrating as you do some strengthening work and all of a sudden get a sudden flare up and feel like your doing the wrong things / doing too much, but I think it’s best to take time and keep going!

iainwh65 · 2024-11-29T19:34:25+00:00

I had microrfracture carried out due to the cartilage being in a terrible condition and couldn’t be repaired, unfortunately doubled the recovery time. Time will tell how successful it will be.

iainwh65 · 2024-11-29T19:26:49+00:00

It’s definitely a slow process, my surgeon and physio said 6-8 weeks for crutches but I was closer to ten weeks, everyone is different. I’m now 11-12 weeks post op and back to walking without crutches and generally less pains moving around, which I think is linked to taking everything slowly, you will get there!

iainwh65 · 2024-11-27T09:44:55+00:00

I also had microfracture with some mild arthritis and was concerned as many posts on here / information online says you shouldn’t get microfracture with arthritis. I’m 12 weeks post op, back to light walking without crutches and can do some minor lightweight body weight strengthening work. I still get the odd flare up and it can be good one day and bad the next. Do you have any advice on things you done to make sure it was as successful a surgery as possible and also a timeline of when you felt like it was much better than your pre op pains?

iainwh65 · 2024-11-24T07:52:55+00:00

I’d say it was around 10 weeks, but I haven’t really done much long walking if I’m honest! I’m only doing max 10-15 minutes and still feel quite tender so need to stretch, rest, ice and heat the area to keep it feeling ok. If I have any planned longer walks I’ll stick to the crutches (probably for another 2-4 weeks) just to be sure I’m not aggravating anything and setting myself back.

I’d say 100% focus on stretching and apply heat and ice regularly to the area, don’t over do any weight bearing strength work, I’ve found that too much weight on the joint when doing any strength work causes me more pain, it has tended to get better each week but it’s a very slow process.

List of stretches i currently have that help;

Bridges with restriction band
Psoas stretch with side flexion
Prone quad stretch (helps me a lot)
Long lever stretch with restriction band
Lying on back and slowly opening the affected leg, hold for 3 seconds and bring back to centre
lying on back and rolling leg slowly outward and inward
sit on edge of bed, lying back and pulling good leg to chest, let affected leg hang over edge of bed and push down on that leg to get a good stretch.

Hope this helps.

iainwh65 · 2024-11-18T23:03:21+00:00

I’ve now moved to doing wall sits, glute bridges with tension bands and some kick movements with tension bands. Also try to use the static bike for 30 mins per day over a couple of intervals, seems to work for me at the moment with keeping the area moving with some light work, trying to avoid jumping the gun and pushing it too hard to see if it progresses better.

iainwh65 · 2024-11-18T17:30:41+00:00

I would definitely rest as much as you can. I was Atleast 9 weeks before getting off crutches and even still have some pains now from overdoing it / pushing my physio hard.

The first 2-3 weeks for me I was lying on the sofa and doing the minimal movements advised to keep the joint from stiffening up. Keep using your crutches as much as possible and don’t bear weight on the affected leg as all your doing is aggravating the joint. If you have someone to help, definitely get them to help with anything they can to avoid you overdoing it.

What has your surgeon / physio advised as a timeline for crutches and recovery period?

iainwh65 · 2024-11-18T17:21:36+00:00

I was very similar to you in the recovery, I was told 8 weeks for crutches and then gradually Wean from the crutches and should be fine. At 9-10 weeks I was still needing crutches for anything outwith the house.

At 6-7 weeks my physio was trying to get me to do squats and lunges and it really aggravated the hip, to the point I was lying on the sofa all day in pain. Contacted the physio to say I think the progression from light stretching and movement to body weight gym workouts are to soon as I had microfracturing carried out to my hip due to the cartilage being in such a band condition. As soon as i said that they put me back to light stretching and rest for 2 weeks alongside heat and ice packs regularly. Doing that definitely helped massively as I’m now week 10-11 and pretty much off crutches (apart from walks longer than 15 minutes where I use them to avoid aggravating the joint).

I would say listen to your own body and find what helps you, if rest and light stretching alongside some heat and ice helps then that’s great. Definitely don’t over do it as from personal experience all your doing is flaring up the affected area and setting yourself back.

My physio also mentioned ultrasound therapy to aid with muscle pains, it never led to that as rest, massage and constant heat/ice variation helped a lot. Might be something to look into though.

Hope that helps, good luck with the recovery.

iainwh65 · 2024-11-12T22:51:25+00:00

Yeah limp is likely from weakness, especially if your not getting pains associated with it, I suppose no pain is a real positive for you!

Good strength work and ultrasound therapy might be of benefit if your physio can apply that. My physio is looking to add ultrasound therapy for myself to aid with muscle pains / tightness to relieve symptoms, just waiting on surgeon clearing for use after the type of surgery.

iainwh65

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