Hip Impingement
FAI & Labral Tears Dubai
Femoroacetabular impingement — FAI, or simply hip impingement — is one of the most common causes of groin and hip pain in young, active adults, and one of the most commonly missed. The classic story: a deep groin ache during or after sport, pain with prolonged sitting or getting out of the car, and a hip that pinches sharply when brought up and across the body. Many patients spend months being treated for a "groin strain" before the hip joint itself is examined.
What it actually is
In FAI, extra bone on the ball (cam), the socket rim (pincer), or both changes the fit of the hip joint. With deep flexion and rotation — squatting, sprinting, kicking, Lagree and Pilates positions — the bone abuts the socket, pinching the labrum (the cartilage ring sealing the joint) and, over time, damaging the joint surface. Untreated, FAI with labral damage is a recognised pathway toward early hip arthritis, which is why it sits at the centre of hip preservation.
Diagnosis
Clinical examination with specific impingement tests, X-rays to assess the bone shape, and MRI to evaluate the labrum and cartilage. Getting this triad right matters: not every cam shape on X-ray causes symptoms, and not every groin pain is FAI. Treatment decisions are made on the whole picture, never the scan alone.
Treatment
First line is targeted physiotherapy — optimising hip and core control and modifying the positions that provoke impingement — and many patients need nothing more. When mechanical symptoms persist in a hip whose cartilage is worth protecting, hip arthroscopy reshapes the impinging bone and repairs the labrum through keyhole incisions. This is the core of Dr. Haidar's hip preservation practice, built on fellowship training at the Centre Santy–FIFA Medical Center in Lyon, one of Europe's reference centres for athletic hip surgery.
Recovery
Hip arthroscopy for FAI is typically a day-case or one-night procedure. Crutches for the early weeks, progressive rehabilitation from week one, return to running commonly around three months and to pivoting sport between four and six months, guided by strength testing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to take the next step?
Consultations available in English, French and Arabic at two Emirates Hospital locations in Dubai.