Hip Preservation

Preserve & Restore Your Natural Hip. Protect Your Future Mobility.

Hip pain doesn’t always mean joint replacement. For many patients, especially younger adults and active individuals, hip preservation offers an opportunity to treat pain, correct underlying structural problems, and protect the natural hip joint before arthritis becomes advanced.

At Jordan-Young Institute, our fellowship-trained hip specialists provide advanced hip preservation care for patients throughout Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads. Our goal is to relieve pain, restore movement, and help you stay active while delaying or avoiding total hip replacement whenever possible.

Ready to explore your options?

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What Is Hip Preservation?

Hip preservation focuses on treating the root cause of hip pain while maintaining the natural joint. Instead of replacing the hip, preservation techniques address mechanical problems such as abnormal bone shape, labral damage, or cartilage injury that lead to pain and early joint wear.

This approach is most effective before significant arthritis develops, when correcting the problem can slow progression, protect cartilage, and improve long-term joint health.

How Do Structural Hip Problems Develop?

Structural hip problems often begin long before pain becomes severe.

Conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) can develop gradually during childhood and young adulthood. Participation in cutting, pivoting, and high-impact sports (including soccer, football, hockey, and basketball) may contribute to abnormal bone growth. Over time, this can lead to impingement, labral tearing, cartilage damage, and early arthritis if left untreated.

Some conditions, such as hip dysplasia, are present at birth. Dysplasia occurs when the hip socket does not fully cover the femoral head, leading to instability and accelerated cartilage wear. While early screening has improved, some patients reach adolescence or adulthood without a diagnosis until symptoms appear.

Early evaluation is key. Identifying and correcting abnormal hip mechanics before advanced arthritis develops is central to successful hip preservation.

Who Is a Candidate for Hip Preservation?

Hip preservation may be appropriate if you:

• Have hip pain, but do not have advanced arthritis
• Experience pain with activity, sports, or prolonged sitting
• Have been diagnosed with a labral tear, FAI, cartilage injury, or hip dysplasia
• Are younger or active and want to delay joint replacement
• Have hip pain that hasn’t improved with basic conservative care

Every patient is different. A comprehensive evaluation is essential to determine whether preservation is the right approach for your anatomy, symptoms and goals.

Conditions Commonly Treated With Hip Preservation

Hip preservation may be used to treat:

• Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)
  Abnormal contact between the ball and socket that damages cartilage and the labrum
• Hip Labral Tears
  Injury to the cartilage ring that stabilizes the hip joint
• Chondral (Cartilage) Injuries
  Damage to the smooth joint surface that allows pain-free motion
• Hip Dysplasia
  Shallow or misaligned hip socket causing instability and early wear
• Early Hip Arthritis
  When symptoms are present but joint damage is not advanced
• Structural Hip Abnormalities
  That alters mechanics and accelerates joint wear

How We Evaluate Hip Preservation Candidates

Choosing the right treatment starts with a precise diagnosis. Your evaluation may include:

• Detailed history of symptoms, activity level, and goals
• Focused physical exam assessing hip motion, strength, and mechanics
• Advanced imaging, such as X-rays and MRI
• Careful assessment of cartilage health, joint space, and bone structure

We take the time to explain your results—so you understand why you’re having pain and what treatment options make sense for you.

Hip Preservation Treatment Options

Your treatment plan is tailored to your anatomy, symptoms, and lifestyle.

Non-Surgical Hip Preservation Options

• Targeted physical therapy to optimize hip mechanics
• Activity modification and guided return to sport
• Image-guided injections when appropriate
• Ongoing monitoring to protect long-term joint health

Surgical Hip Preservation Options

When conservative care isn’t enough, minimally invasive procedures may be recommended, such as:

• Hip arthroscopy to treat labral tears, FAI, and cartilage injuries
• Bone reshaping to restore normal joint mechanics
• Repair, reconstruction, or stabilization of damaged structures

These procedures are designed to relieve pain, improve movement, and reduce ongoing joint damage while preserving the natural hip.

Hip Preservation vs. Hip Replacement

Hip preservation and hip replacement serve different purposes:

• Hip preservation aims to protect and extend the life of your natural joint
• Hip replacement replaces the joint when arthritis is advanced, and preservation is no longer effective

Our specialists help you understand where you fall on that spectrum–so you receive the right treatment at the right time.

Why Choose Jordan-Young Institute for Hip Preservation?

Patients choose Jordan-Young Institute because we offer:

• Fellowship-trained hip specialists with preservation expertise
• A physical therapy team that works side-by-side with our hip preservation surgeons for tailored rehabilitation
• Advanced imaging and precise diagnosis
• Minimally invasive techniques focused on joint protection
• Care tailored to athletes, active adults, and long-term mobility
• A trusted orthopedic team serving Virginia Beach and the surrounding areas

From your first visit through recovery, your care is guided by experience, evidence, and a commitment to helping you move confidently again.

Schedule a Hip Preservation Evaluation

If hip pain is affecting your activity, comfort, or confidence, early evaluation matters. The sooner structural issues are identified, the more options you may have.

• Schedule an Appointment
• Call Now:

Schedule a Hip Preservation Evaluation

If hip pain is affecting your activity, comfort, or confidence, early evaluation matters. The sooner structural issues are identified, the more options you may have.

Schedule an appointment online or call .