What is Femoral-Acetabular Impingement?
Impingement occurs when the ball (femoral head) doesn’t have full range of motion in the socket (acetabulum). This is caused by too much bone around the femoral head and/or the socket turned backwards (retroversion) and the femur bumps into the rim of the acetabulum and causes pain and possibly damage over time. Q) What are symptoms common with impingement? A) Impingement can present at any age between 20-50 years old. Most of the time, people will start to get pain in the front of their hip (groin) after prolonged sitting or walking. Walking uphill can also be difficult. Sometimes they feel a dull ache in the groin, other times catching or popping. Q) What happens inside a hip with impingement? A) When the extra bone on the femoral head and neck (ball) hits the rim of the acetabulum (socket) the cartilage and labrum can be damaged. These tissues are the cushion between the ball and socket (clear space on x-rays), and when damaged can cause pain and start to degenerate (get small tears
