There are few procedures in the last few decades that have revolutionized surgery as much as arthroscopy. While arthroscopic surgery of the knee and shoulder is well established, this procedure is now being used with increasing frequency for hip conditions and in doing so has opened up completely new treatment possibilities.

As the hip joint is relatively deep in the body and the joint capsule is protected by a thick layer of soft tissue, hip arthroscopy calls for a special set of instruments and a good deal of expertise on the part of the surgeon. For this reason, arthroscopic hip procedures should be carried out only by experienced surgeons.

Patients who can benefit particularly from hip arthroscopy include young and middle aged competition athletes who require a hip operation but who wish to take up their sporting activities again as soon as possible and do not therefore want to be incapacitated for a long time, as open hip surgery with large incisions would require.

A hip arthroscopy can be carried out, for example, to rectify labrum defects. The cartilaginous labrum is carefully sewn up again and the defective labrum flushed out of the joint.

Other indications for which hip arthroscopy might be used:

• Loose bodies
• Diseases of the joint membrane (synovialis)
• Cartilage damage or injury following accidents
• Early arthrosis [Link]
• Femoroacetabular impingement [Link]
• Unexplained hip pain
• Hip infections