Expert Sports Injury
Care in San Diego

A loose piece of cartilage or bone inside the hip may seem insignificant, but even the smallest loose body can cause frustrating symptoms like your hip catching when you bend down, or clicking with every step. 

While many loose bodies in the hip joint don't need to be removed, a fragment that repeatedly catches, locks the joint, or damages cartilage usually requires surgery. This is especially true if you’ve experienced trauma of the hip joint. In fact, 59% of traumatic hip injuries later need surgery to remove loose fragments of bone, cartilage, or calcifications. 

Read on to learn more about how loose fragments are formed, what kind of damage can occur if you ignore symptoms, and where to find the best hip surgeon in San Diego for hip arthroscopy to locate and remove loose fragments while addressing any underlying problems of the joint.

What Causes Loose Fragments of Bone or Cartilage in the Hip?

Loose bodies are small pieces of bone, cartilage, or a combination of both that have separated from the normal structures inside the hip joint. They can develop for several reasons, including:

• A hip injury, fracture, or dislocation
• Damage to the cartilage
• Femoroacetabular impingement
• Arthritis and degenerative joint changes
• Osteochondral injuries, where cartilage and underlying bone are damaged
• Synovial chondromatosis, a condition that causes the joint lining to produce multiple cartilage nodules

The underlying cause matters because removing one fragment may relieve a mechanical problem, but it will not correct an untreated source of abnormal pressure or cartilage damage.

What Does a Loose Body in The Hip Feel Like?

People with a loose body in the hip joint usually describe a sensation that something is moving, catching, or getting stuck inside the hip. Other common symptoms include:

• Deep groin or hip pain
• Catching or clicking
• A feeling that the hip is locking
• Pain with rotation or certain positions
• Reduced range of motion
• Intermittent symptoms that seem to come and go

A common misconception is that every hip click means there is a loose body. However, hip clicking during movement can also result from conditions affecting the labrum, tendons, or other structures around the hip. 

How Does an Orthopedic Surgeon Find Out if I Have Loose Bodies in my Hip?

The best hip surgeons in San Diego look at where the pain occurs, what movements reproduce it, and whether the hip has restricted motion or signs of hip impingement. Commonly recommended imaging may include:

• An X-ray that looks for bone fragments, arthritis, and structural abnormalities
• CT scan that can identify small or mineralized bone fragments 
• MRI or MR arthrogram, which looks for damage to cartilage, the labrum, or other soft tissues

Can a Loose Body Be Treated Without Surgery?

Treatment for loose bodies in the hip depends on the fragment's size and location, symptom severity, and the condition of the hip joint. For some people, non-surgical treatments can include:

• Activity modification
• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medications when appropriate
• Injections for pain and inflammation
• PRP
• BMAC

For clarification, injectable orthobiologics can not dissolve or remove loose bone or cartilage. Their potential role is treating the underlying joint environment, particularly when cartilage degeneration or hip osteoarthritis contributes to symptoms.

When Does a Loose Body Need Surgical Removal?

Arthroscopic removal is generally recommended when a loose body causes significant or persistent mechanical symptoms, pain that does not improve with appropriate conservative care, or ongoing joint damage.

During hip arthroscopy, the best hip surgeon in San Diego makes small incisions and uses a camera to examine the joint. Specialized instruments can then remove the loose body. At the same time, the surgeon can address related problems such as a labral tear, cartilage injury, or femoroacetabular impingement when appropriate.

What Is Recovery Like After Hip Surgery?

Recovery depends heavily on what surgeons find and treat during surgery. Someone undergoing straightforward loose-body removal may have a different rehabilitation plan than someone who also needs treatment for a labral tear, cartilage injury, or impingement. Regardless, most patients use crutches during early recovery, followed by progressive physical therapy focused on restoring motion, strength, and normal hip mechanics. The surgeon and physical therapy team guide return to work, exercise, and sports. 

Where to Find the Best Hip Surgeon in San Diego

A careful diagnosis is the first step in getting the right treatment for hip catching, locking, or unexplained hip pain. For an accurate diagnosis, patients across Leucadia, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Torrey Pines, and throughout North County San Diego and Southern California trust the expert team at San Diego Performance Orthopedics & Regenerative Therapy. 

At our conveniently located office in Encinitas, our team is led by Dr. Samagh, who completed fellowship training in orthopedic sports surgery and sports medicine at Northwestern University, where he focused on hip arthroscopy. His training also included caring for athletes from professional and collegiate teams, and his research has resulted in more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Ready to get personalized, precision care for hip locking or pain from the best hip surgeon in San Diego?