Exercise for Hip Labral Tears. What to do and what NOT to do.

Published: July 17, 2024

Image: How to Exercise with Hip Labral Tear Pain

So you’ve been told that the nagging chronic hip pain you’ve been feeling for months or years is from a hip labral tear. You’ve tried physical therapy (“PT”) and even looked for some hip exercises online but nothing seems to be reducing your pain symptoms.

There is something left to try - recognize the role of your brain and nervous system in your pain pattern. Your pain is not coming from a hip labral tear, nor it is coming from anything horribly wrong with your hip.

Illustration: Hip Labral Tear MRI

Why do Physical Therapy Exercises for Hip Labral Tears Often Fail?

After an MRI confirms a hip labral tear, most doctors recommend PT as the first intervention. As you might've found out, the exercises prescribed in PT offices are usually generic, low intensity and not customized to the individual patient.

Banner: Hip Reset Resource

Most individuals with hip labral tears don’t even experience hip pain. Countless studies examining the link between hip labral tears and hip pain fail to find any meaningful connection.