Hip arthroscopy and the surgical drapes applied. The next step is to insert a fine needle under x-ray guidance into the hip joint. This breaks the 'suction seal' of the joint and allows further distraction if necessary (see fig 4). The surgeon wishes to see the ball move out the socket by approximately 1 cm, so that access to the hip joint can be achieved with minimal risk of damage to the joint surfaces. Most surgeons will inject fluid into the joint at this stage, again to ensure that there is enough space between the ball and socket for safe instrument access.
Hip arthroscopy Methods to reduce this over coverage of the ball by the socket include labral detachment or peel back, acetabular rim trimming using burrs, often reattaching the labrum with anchors at the end of the procedure. With the exception of cases of severe global over coverage of the hip, or situations in which the existing labrum has turned to bone (or ossified), excessive acetabular rim resection should be avoided in order to prevent iatrogenic increases in hip joint contact pressures. The acetabular labrum is a fibrous structure, which surrounds the femoral head. It forms a seal to the hip joint, although