Golfers usually consider their shoulders, elbows and wrists their most vulnerable joints.
Well, they can add hips to that list, says a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) study.
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Hip injuries in golfers often involve injury to the labrum cartilage, a condition that's often diagnosed as arthritis or muscle strain.
Major advances in recent years
The ability to detect labral injuries using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has increased significantly in the last 10 years. At the same time, arthroscopic interventions have been developed to treat these injuries without subjecting the patient to major surgery, study author Dr Derek Armfield, an assistant professor in UPMC's division of musculoskeletal radiology, says in a prepared statement.
He and his colleagues used MRI to examine eight professional golfers with hip pain. Along with the MRI, the golfers had a physical examination and subsequent arthroscopy.
Golfe'rs labrum
The MRI detected injuries to each golfer's labrum, which is the ligament-like cartilage that contains nerves and lines the socket of the hip. The injuries included labral tears and detachments.
It's believed tears in the labrum can damage adjacent cartilage and may lead to arthritis. All the golfers in the study were successfully treated with arthroscopic surgery. - (HealthDayNews)
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