When it comes to treating people with hip pain, physicians should not replace clinical observation with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), according to recent research.

The study’s findings were presented in February 2012 at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Specialty Day in San Francisco (CA, USA). “We performed MRI scans on a sample of volunteers without any hip pain, and discovered about 73% had abnormal findings,” commented the study’s lead author Bradley C. Register, MD, of the Steadman-Philippon Research Institute (Vail, CO, USA).

The study assessed 45 volunteer subjects with no history of hip pain, symptoms, injury, or previous surgeries. Each participant received an MRI scan that was reviewed by three separate radiologists. Scans identified labral tears as the most common of the abnormalities displayed, making up nearly 69% of the joint conditions. Subjects older than 35 were more prone to abnormalities, showing a 13.7 times greater likelihood of having chondral defects and 16.7 times greater chance of having a subchondral cyst.

“The hope with a study like this is improved treatment and decision-making for physicians who are dealing with hip disorders,” noted Dr. Register. “Our results emphasize the importance of correlating clinical signs and symptoms with imaging findings when considering surgery for patients with these conditions.”

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