Femoroacetabular Impingement in Adults
Femoroacetabular impingement, commonly called FAI, occurs when the ball and socket of the hip contact abnormally during hip flexion and rotation. Over time, this repeated contact can damage the labrum and cartilage and may contribute to arthritis developing earlier in adulthood.
What Causes FAI?
FAI is related to the shape of the femoral head and neck, the hip socket or both. These structural differences can cause the bones to pinch together during deeper motion.
CAM Impingement
A CAM lesion is an extra prominence or loss of normal roundness near the femoral head-neck junction. During bending and rotation, this prominence may contact the edge of the socket and damage the labrum and nearby cartilage.
Pincer Impingement
Pincer impingement occurs when the socket provides excessive coverage over the femoral head. The labrum can become compressed between the socket and the femur during hip motion.
FAI Can Lead to an Earlier Pattern of Hip Arthritis
Traditional osteoarthritis often develops gradually later in life as cartilage wears down with aging. Arthritis associated with FAI may present differently.
Adults with longstanding CAM or pincer anatomy may begin developing labral damage, cartilage loss and hip stiffness in their late 40s or early 50s—earlier than expected for typical age-related arthritis.
Earlier Symptoms
Patients may notice groin pain, reduced hip rotation, difficulty sitting low, trouble getting into a car or pain with squatting and deeper hip flexion.
Damage Beyond the Labrum
By the time symptoms become significant in adulthood, the problem may include not only a labral tear but also cartilage thinning, joint-space narrowing and established arthritis.
How FAI Is Treated in Adults
Treatment is based on whether the patient has isolated impingement or has already developed meaningful cartilage loss and arthritis.
Nonsurgical Treatment
When Arthritis Is Already Present
Younger patients with preserved cartilage may benefit from evaluation by a hip-preservation specialist. However, once substantial cartilage loss or joint-space narrowing is present, arthroscopic reshaping or labral repair becomes less predictable.
In adults with advanced arthritis, treatment is directed toward arthritis itself. Total hip replacement may eventually become the more reliable option when pain and stiffness substantially limit daily life.
Hip Impingement, Labral Damage or Early Arthritis?
We can evaluate whether CAM or pincer impingement is an incidental finding, the source of your symptoms or part of a broader pattern of cartilage loss and hip arthritis.
This information is educational and does not replace an individual medical evaluation.