FAI / Labral tear (initial encounter)

Hey all, been lurking for a little and wanted to share my story and see if anyone can relate and maybe add some advice or share some success stories.

Male/36yo

Back in October 2024 I walked about 2 miles with some bad shoes that triggered plantar fascitis. Around that time I wanted to get into walking a lot because at the time I was recovering from a shoulder issue that happened during a body surfing incident that set back my lifting. From that point I got some good walking shoes (New Balances) and they felt amazing on the feet. Over time I noticed that they were affecting my posture which resulted in back pain and some hip pain. I thought it was just my body adjusting to shoes with better support. I was able to lightly run in these pain free, etc, but was dealing with the hip/back pain just thinking it was my body adjusting for the better.

A couple months later when I was at the gym doing minor things as my shoulder was nearly fully recovered, I was just doing some stretches and did a bodyweight (no weight) squat that was a little narrower and I felt a crunch right in the hip area front right side near the groin. At that point I packed my shit and left the gym. Didn’t have any major pain immediately. That night the pain set and and it was really bad. Was in the passenger side of my car and my wife hit a bump and it hurt like all hell. Hip pain was terrible and as i sat in my computer chair for work it was pretty bad. I rested for a couple weeks and knew immediately it wasn’t a good sign. Walking was irritating the hip/groin area and that was also a bad sign for me. After some weeks off I went to the PT to see what I can do to get it to start feeling better. They initially diagnosed as a hip flexor strain (although no imaging done at this time). I did PT there for a couple weeks and then took it home. I did the routine for about 4-5 months and started seeing great progress. Was able to walk pain free and bend over pain free, a lot of great signs, and the deep dull ache faded. Felt like i was back to normal pretty much. Then a package was delivered at my doorstep and I just pushed it out of the way of the door and felt a pinch in my hip/back. I knew i reaggrivated the issue. The issue affects the groin area and right side hip/lowback. Has been lingering ever since although not super bad. 1-2/10 at times.

I ended up going to podatrist and got fitted for some good ortho insoles and got some new on cloud sneakers and feet have adjusted well. He noticed I had an unorthodox style of walking which could have been from compensation from the various issues and has since been corrected from his POV.

Took more rest and ended up going to the orthopedic doctor and got some x ray imaging. She diagnosed it as FAI impingement, acetabular labrum tear (initial encounter). I feel a small click when i raise my right leg up directly in front of me, but not when i move it to the side slightly. She did a bunch of movements and nothing hurt or was triggered. I am able to be relatively pain free, if i get a small flare up from sitting upright for too long its like a 1/10. I am able to walk pain free (havent tried jogging), etc. But there is always this dull ache that rears its head on occasion to just let me know that its there. Sort of triggers some anxiety and I want to get back to being active but scared to make the issue worse. My family moved into a new home recently so i been doing a lot of lifting and moving and to my surprise nothing has really aggravated it too bad. Im able to live my life relatively normal but as someone who likes to be active I feel like im on a leash and fearful of making this something that can permanently cause distress in daily life.

She wants me to go back to PT with this new diagnosis and see if I can find some progress but what worries me is what I read online about a tear “never healing” and only getting worse over time. I like to play beach volleyball, soccer, baseball, weight train, etc, something is bound to not bode well with this lingering issue. Is it possible to have PT be enough or should I nip it in the bud and get the CT scan and find a path forward with surgery before it gets to a worse point over time? Unsure what to do, I wanna get back to being really pain free and having confidence in being active. I think my anxiety would fade from all this as well. I understand only a doctor will know but curious to hear any anecdotes from folks who had similar issues.

Love you all and hope you can all find solutions to any issues you have!

(sorry for any grammatical issues, typed this up on my iPhone)