Skating & Hip Problems

The skating motion places significant stress on your hips, so too much skating can lead to overuse of your hip joints and eventual injury. It is also possible to experience a number of sudden, traumatic hip injuries while skating.

Basics

Your hip is formed by the ball-shaped end of your femur and a socket-shaped portion of your pelvis called the acetabulum. A circular layer of cartilage called the labrum rings the outside edge of your acetabulum, increasing the depth of the pelvic socket and giving your hip joint extra stability. A capsule of connective tissue surrounds your entire hip joint. In addition, three ligaments --- the pubofemoral, iliofemoral and ischiofemoral --- connect your femur and pelvic bones. Muscles in your hip include the quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, iliopsoas or primary hip flexors and your groin muscles, also known as the adductors.

Hockey

Skating while playing hockey produces repeated pressure on your hip joint, according to the Steadman Philippon Research Institute. Over time, this pressure can lead to the onset of a condition called femoroacetabular impingement, or FAI, which occurs when you develop abnormal bone growth in the neck of your femur or in the surface of your acetabulum. Eventually, these bone abnormalities can damage the cartilage that lines your hip joint, as well as the cartilage in your acetabulum. In turn, cartilage damage can lead to arthritis and reductions in your normal range of hip motion.

Figure and Inline Skating

Figure skaters regularly perform a variety of motions while skating and are susceptible to wide range of hip injuries, reports Dr. Marc J. Philippon. These include FAI, flexor and adductor muscle strains, labrum tears, tendon damage, ligament damage, cartilage lesions, loosening of the hip capsule, loose pieces of cartilage or bone and a movement disorder called snapping hip syndrome. If you fall on your hip during inline skating, you can develop an injury called a hip pointer, which occurs when you bruise one of your hip bones or any associated tendons, cartilage or muscles. On rare occasions, a hip pointer may also involve partial detachment of one of your hip bones.

Treatment

If you damage the structures in your hip while skating, you may require surgery to repair your injury, as well as a course of rehabilitation designed to restore your normal hip function. The specific surgical procedure and type of physical therapy will depend on the nature of the injury you sustain. If you fall and develop a hip pointer, treatment commonly includes rest, the application of ice, compression with a wrap or bandage and elevation of your affected hip. If necessary, you can take a nonprescription painkiller. You can also improve your recovery with minor amounts of activity that don't aggravate your hip joint. Ask your doctor for more information.