Start with understanding
The labrum is a ring of cartilage around the hip socket that contributes to the joint’s seal and stability. A tear can be associated with pain or mechanical symptoms, but it can also appear on imaging in a person without hip pain.
The useful question is whether the finding helps explain your symptoms. A scan should support an assessment, not automatically decide that you need surgery.
Video coming soon
Explore the written guide and illustrated lessons below.
Connect understanding to daily life
Read the symptoms and the image together
Hip or groin pain, restricted motion, and catching can be part of the presentation. Clicking alone does not confirm a tear. Tell the clinician whether the sound is painful, whether motion actually becomes blocked, and how the problem affects your day.
The wider hip context matters
A tear may coexist with impingement, dysplasia, or other joint changes. Those differences can affect treatment decisions. Ask what else was found and whether the proposed plan addresses a symptomatic problem rather than just a report. A sudden severe change, inability to bear weight after injury, or a hot painful joint with fever needs urgent assessment.
Compare options with clear expectations
Nonsurgical care may aim to improve symptoms and function through activity changes and rehabilitation. This should not be presented as sewing a tear back together. If a procedure is considered, ask why repair, reconstruction, or another option fits your particular joint, and what recovery and rehabilitation would involve.
Put your priorities in the room
You might want to sit through work, return to a sport, or stop worrying about an occasional sound. Those are different concerns. Bring the one that matters most and ask what would count as improvement. A useful plan explains which findings are important, where uncertainty remains, and when another opinion or review would help.
Educational information complements individual guidance. Your health history, goals, and examination determine appropriate care.
Build your understanding
Five ideas to build your understanding. Swipe, use the arrows, or focus the slides and use your keyboard.
Does an MRI tear mean I need surgery?
No. Symptoms, examination, other hip findings, and response to care help determine whether an operation is appropriate.
Can exercises repair the labrum?
Rehabilitation can aim to improve symptoms and function. It should not be promised as a structural repair of the tear.
What the evidence means for you
Labral findings occur without symptoms
A blinded MRI study identified labral tears in many of its 45 asymptomatic volunteers.
Put it to use: Ask whether the imaging finding matches the problem you experience before deciding on treatment.
Keep in mind: A small volunteer study cannot prove a tear is harmless or estimate your own likelihood of symptoms.
American Journal of Sports Medicine · prospective imaging study →Arthroscopy is considered in a broader clinical pathway
AAOS describes arthroscopy for selected painful hip problems that have not responded to nonsurgical treatment.
Put it to use: Ask about the specific procedure, other hip findings, alternatives, and the rehabilitation involved.
Keep in mind: Not every tear is suitable for the same operation; joint shape and stability can alter the decision.
AAOS OrthoInfo · patient guidance →