Abstract
The role and importance of the acetabular labrum has been debated for many years. However, recent research has suggested the labrum serves many functions in the hip—from (1) stabilizing the hip by helping deepen the socket and (2) helping maintain negative intra-articular pressure to (3) helping reduce cartilage deformation and distributing loads while also (4) reducing friction by maintaining joint fluid in the central compartment between the articular surfaces to (5) serving a neural role of providing proprioceptive input in addition to pain sensation and (6) helping maintain joint fluid in the central compartment to assist chondral nutrition (Safran, J Am Acad Orthop Surg 18:338–45, 2010). These many functions are the result of the anatomic structure of the labrum.
Additionally, labral tears of the hip are a common cause of intra-articular hip pain and one of the most common indications for hip arthroscopy. Recent literature has detailed the gross and histologic anatomy of the labrum. This chapter will review the current status of what is known about the anatomy of the labrum.
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Nguyen, M.L., Safran, M.R. (2017). Anatomy: Labrum. In: McCarthy, J., Noble, P., Villar, R. (eds) Hip Joint Restoration. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0694-5_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0694-5_3
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