What is the Difference Between Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear

The key difference between hip bursitis and labral tear is that hip bursitis is a condition of inflammation or irritation of one or more of the bursae in the hip, while labral tear is a condition that causes injury to the tissue holding the ball and socket parts of the hip together.

The hip is the joint in the body where the thigh bone and pelvis meet. It allows people to walk, run, and jump while bearing a large amount of body weight. Therefore, the hip is prone to injuries regardless of age and circumstances. Different conditions affect the hip, such as arthritis of the hip, avascular necrosis, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), hip bursitis, labral tear, hip dislocation, hip dysplasia, hip fracture, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hip Bursitis 
3. What is Labral Tear
4. Similarities – Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear
5. Hip Bursitis vs. Labral Tear in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear
7. Summary – Hip Bursitis vs. Labral Tear

What is Hip Bursitis?

Hip bursitis is the inflammation of the hip’s bursa. The hip’s bursa is the cushion that protects tendons and muscles from rubbing against the bone. The symptoms of this condition may include hip pain that worsens after sitting down, lying down or repetitive activity like climbing stairs and swelling of the hip. Hip bursitis can be triggered by overuse or repeated pressure on the hip, hip injuries, other lower body conditions (scoliosis), and uneven leg length.

Hip bursitis can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, X-ray, or MRI scan. Furthermore, treatment options for hip bursitis may include changing the activities, hip support (walking cane), physical therapy, injection, aspiration, and arthroscopic surgery.

What is a Labral Tear?

A labral tear is an injury to the tissue that holds the ball and socket parts of the hip together. Overuse, traumatic injuries, or abnormalities in the shape or alignment of the hip bones mainly cause labral tear. This condition is more common in athletes who participate in high-impact sports. Moreover, the symptoms of labral tear are pain in the hip, groin, or buttocks while walking, running, or at night when sleeping, hip stiffness or limited range of motion, and clicking or locking sensation in the hip joint when moving.

Labral tears can be diagnosed through physical examination, X-ray, and MRI.  Furthermore, treatment options for labral tear may include rest and activity modification, over-the-counter pain relief medications such as ibuprofen, injections, physical therapy, and arthroscopic surgery.

What are the Similarities Between Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear?

• Hip bursitis and labral tear are two different conditions of hip conditions.
• Both conditions can cause intense pain in the hip region.
• They can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging studies.
• They can be treated through specific therapies and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear?

Hip bursitis is a condition that results in inflammation or irritation of one or more of the bursae in the hip, while labral tear is a condition that causes injury to the tissue that holds the ball and socket parts of the hip together. Thus, this is the key difference between hip bursitis and labral tear. Furthermore, hip bursitis is more common in women and in people who are middle-aged or older. On the other hand, labral tear is more common in athletes who participate in high-impact sports.

The infographic below presents the differences between hip bursitis and labral tear in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Hip Bursitis and Labral Tear

What can be mistaken for hip bursitis?

Osteoarthritis, tendonitis, snapping hip syndrome, and painful conditions radiating from the lower back can be mistakenly viewed as hip bursitis.

What are the 3 symptoms of bursitis?

Pain, swelling, and tenderness near a joint are the most common signs of bursitis.

What is the fastest way to cure bursitis?

Rest and use of ice are the fastest way to cure bursitis.

Summary – Hip Bursitis vs. Labral Tear

The hip is the most important joint in the body. Hip bursitis and labral tear are two different conditions of hip conditions. Hip bursitis is the inflammation of one of the hip’s bursa, which is commonly seen in women and in people who are middle-aged or older. A labral tear is an injury to the tissue that holds the ball and socket parts of the hip together. This condition is most commonly seen in athletes who participate in high-impact sports. So, this summarizes the difference between hip bursitis and labral tear.

Reference:

1. “Hip Bursitis.” OrthoInfo – AAOS.
2.“Hip Labral Tear – Symptoms & Causes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Labral tear 2” By InjuryMap – InjuryMap – Free Human Anatomy Images and Pictures. (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Bursa iliopectinea rechts vergroessert (Bursitis) – CT axial 001 – Annotation” By Hellerhoff – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia