Athletic hip problems can be a real pain. Why? Because hip complaints often cause pain to radiate to various parts of the body at different times. For example, they can cause pain in the lower back and buttocks, around the hip joint, in the hip flexor or down the thigh. Symptoms that are always changing make it hard for doctors to pinpoint the problem.
On average, athletes with hip problems see two to three different doctors over the course of a few years before receiving an accurate diagnosis. Even more challenging, there’s a limited number of orthopedic doctors with experience in treating athletic hip complaints. It’s much easier to find sports medicine doctors who specialize in shoulder and knee problems.
Hip arthroscopy is a growing area of orthopedic medicine that’s bringing lasting relief to many patients and athletes of all levels. Dr. Eric Kropf, orthopedic surgeon with Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute and adjunct associate professor with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, is one of the only providers offering hip arthroscopy in Union County, North Carolina. He brings 14 years of clinical practice using this outpatient procedure to treat patients with hip complaints.
Hip Visualization and Repair
The hip is typically a very deep, stable joint surrounded by an envelope of muscle and soft tissue. When babies are born, one of the first things doctors check is the stability of their hips. Hip development requires signaling between the ball (femur) and socket.
“When it comes to hips, there’s a wide range of normal,” explains Kropf. “When the hip is deep, you can start having a mechanical impingement (collision) between the ball and socket. When this collision occurs, it can cause a tear in the labrum, which is the cartilage that covers the outer rim of the hip socket. This may eventually cause arthritis.”
Hip arthroscopy involves inserting a scope and a camera into the hip joint for visualization. Through minimally invasive “poke-hole” incisions, the surgeon corrects the mechanical impingement that commonly occurs between the ball and socket and repairs the labral tear.
“Hip arthroscopy is one of the most technically challenging procedures to perform,” Kropf says. “In larger athletes, the muscle and tissue surrounding the hip tend to be thick, making it especially difficult to access the joint. To access the hip joint,, you have to apply traction, open up the joint and work with live X-ray to ensure accurate placement of surgical instruments. Everything has to be very precise.”
Kropf can perform a complete hip scope and labral tear repair in a roughly 90- minute procedure. Patients can go home the same day and begin their recovery. From professional athletes to collegiate athletes and weekend warriors, he sees a wide variety of patients with hip problems, most of them range in age from 13 to 55. More active patients may develop symptoms at a younger age.
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute offers high-level expertise at every step of the hip scope process, including diagnosis, imaging, surgical management and postoperative care. Patients with hip complaints benefit from Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute’s:
- Experienced primary care sports medicine doctors
- Advanced imaging technology, including 3 Tesla MRI
- Operating room experience including special X-rays and traction equipment
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation specialists who understand hip problems
- Facilities and teams that perform high-volume hip arthroscopy
Hip Treatment Journey
Kropf’s main responsibilities at Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute are clinical but also include growing the sports medicine program and guiding Atrium Health athletic trainers in the outreach market. In the office, he sees patients who are referred through primary care sports medicine doctors, their primary care physician or other orthopedic surgeons.
“Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date sports medicine practices within Union County, so patients can stay close to home for this type of care,” he says. “Returning to sport or activity requires time and the coordinate efforts of a sports medicine team including surgeon, athletic trainer and physical therapists. It can be challenging for patients to travel for all elements of care”.
Kropf received his medical degree at Georgetown University and completed orthopedic residency and sports medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Kropf’s training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Included advanced arthroscopy techniques with leaders in shoulder, knee and hip sports medicine.
When he first arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to start clinical practice at Temple University, he saw many doctors working with ACL and shoulder repairs but didn’t see many treating hip complaints.
“I liked the fact that hip treatment protocols weren’t as well defined yet,” explains Kropf. “I could see there was a serious need. Patients needed someone to see them and guide their procedure and rehab. Hip arthroscopy is still evolving, and we’re still improving the procedure, diagnosis and physical therapy – everything around it.”
Following his training, Kropf went to Temple University, where he worked as an associate professor and chief of orthopedics. He served as director of sports medicine for Temple University athletics, and as a hip arthroscopy consultant forVillanova University, the Philadelphia Flyers and multiple other small colleges in the Philadelphia area.
Exceptional Outcomes
According to Kropf, most patients recover very well after a hip scope. In fact, studies show that 92%-97% of athletes get back to their sport at the same level or higher after surgery Many patients are able to start riding a bike in rehabilitation a few days after the procedure. Three to four months later, most patients are back to playing soccer, ice hockey or football without any pain.
“Hip scopes result in some of the best clinical outcomes and recoveries as well as some of the most satisfied patients,” Kropf says. “Many athletes didn’t realize how stiff they were until after the procedure. They often feel like a new person, which is very rewarding.”
Hip arthroscopy may also delay or prevent arthritis in certain patient groups. “If we can intervene when an athlete is in their late teens, we can alter the natural history of progression of hip impingement, improving their long-term health and potentially preventing arthritis,” he explains.
Learn more about expert hip care at Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute.
