Treatment Options for Hip Disorders

Our doctors always consider nonsurgical treatment first when treating hip pain, and our physical therapists work closely with your child to rehabilitate injured hips.

However, if surgical intervention is necessary for your child, hip preservation surgery offers revolutionary approaches to correct the underlying mechanical problem of the hip. The five surgical approaches listed below are the most common we perform on children. Our team has significant experience performing all of these surgeries and getting your child back to a healthy, active life as quickly as possible. We also conduct research to help identify even better treatments and bring those results back to our patients to improve the outcome of your child’s surgery.

Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO)

A PAO is a surgery used to correct a condition called hip dysplasia or acetabular dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is when there is insufficient coverage of the femoral head (ball) by a shallow acetabulum (hip socket). During PAO surgery, the acetabulum is repositioned to cover more of the femoral head to improve the stability of the hip joint. The PAO surgery improves hip function and stops the damage occurring inside the joint.

Hip arthroscopy

A minimally invasive surgery used to treat damage to the interior of the hip joint. Our doctors can repair labral tears, cartilage damage, and bony abnormalities using small instruments with an arthroscopic camera. Hip arthroscopy is the most common treatment approach for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), in which one or both of the bones that form the hip joint have an abnormal shape and rub together during activity.

Surgical dislocation of the hip

A procedure in which the ball-and-socket hip joint is dislocated to enable our doctors to examine and access 360 degrees around the hip joint. It is an effective way to correct complex hip disorders that are not receptive to arthroscopic treatment.

Labral and cartilage repair

Minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery and surgical dislocation of the hip can both be used to repair hip damage, such as a labral tear, and stimulate new cartilage growth.

Pelvic and femoral osteotomies

An osteotomy is a surgical cut into bone, to lengthen, shorten, or change the alignment of the bone. Osteotomies of the pelvis and upper femur (thigh bone) are used to improve the mechanical alignment and function of the hip.