Orthopedic Surgery

The Young Hip Clinic at Mayo Clinic evaluates and treats young people who have hip pain. The clinic focuses on alternatives to hip replacement or joint preservation surgery.

The two most common conditions treated in the clinic are:

• Hip dysplasia. The hip socket (acetabulum) is too shallow and doesn't fully cover the joint. Pain associated with this condition is not necessarily activity-related. Hip dysplasia is more common in females.
• Femoroacetabular impingement. The hip joint is too tight and the restricted movement damages the cartilage and labrum around the joint. This condition is usually aggravated by activity.

Orthopedic surgeons work with sports medicine physical therapists to thoroughly evaluate your problem and develop a treatment and rehabilitation plan to surgically correct the hip structure and create more normal hip mechanics. The goal is to avoid or at least postpone the need for an artificial hip joint.

For hip dysplasia, the treatment of choice is a procedure called periacetabular osteotomy, which reshapes the hip socket. For impingement, conventional and minimally invasive (arthroscopic) surgical procedures are available.

Most people treated in the Young Hip Clinic report significant pain relief from treatment.

Doctors in the Young Hip Clinic also conduct research. One major project is comparing long-term results of arthroscopic hip repair versus conventional surgery. Researchers are particularly interested in seeing whether fixing the hip mechanics will avoid the need for a hip replacement later in life.