Réhabital
Hip labral tear and femoroacetabular impingement in Côte Saint-Luc
Deep groin pain while sitting, pivoting or squatting can make daily life and sport unpredictable. A labral tear or femoroacetabular impingement may be part of the picture. The aim is to understand your symptoms and function rather than treating an imaging finding in isolation. At Réhabital in Côte Saint-Luc, on the Island of Montréal, Colin Teghen Tamuton, physiotherapist and OPPQ member, helps you understand your symptoms and rebuild activity through a progressive plan. We agree on realistic goals that reflect your routine, preferences and health history, without promising a cure or giving everyone the same exercise program.
Book an AppointmentUnderstanding This Condition
The labrum is a ring of fibrocartilage around the hip socket that contributes to joint stability and function. A tear may follow trauma or develop gradually, but labral changes can also exist without pain. Femoroacetabular impingement involves contact between the femur and the rim of the socket in certain positions. Cam or pincer shapes can contribute to this contact. Their presence on imaging alone does not establish a painful syndrome: symptoms and clinical signs must fit as well. Pain is often felt in the groin, sometimes at the side of the hip or buttock, and may increase during deep bending or rotation. Clicking alone is not proof of a tear. Tendon problems, hip osteoarthritis, referred back pain and other conditions can feel similar. Physiotherapy cannot change bone shape or guarantee that a labral tear heals, but it may improve symptoms and the capacity to perform meaningful activities. Distinguishing stiffness, irritation and instability helps avoid applying the same stretching routine to every painful hip. Assessment therefore involves more than a single symptom or an imaging finding considered in isolation. We discuss how symptoms began, which activities provoke them, how they behave after exercise and whether sleep or work is affected. Strength, mobility and the tasks you find difficult provide practical markers for tracking change. More than one source of pain can be present. Unusual symptoms or an unexpected course call for reassessment and, when appropriate, medical review. Understanding these distinctions helps you stay active without dismissing a problem that needs further investigation. Your description of what you can and cannot do is an important part of that process.
Common Symptoms
Common Causes
Hip shape
Cam or pincer morphology may increase contact in certain positions. These shapes also occur in people without symptoms, so their presence alone is not a reason to treat the hip or recommend surgery.
Repeated end-range movement
Repeated deep bending and rotation can irritate a sensitive hip. The effect depends on the sport, exposure and individual capacity rather than on a single position being universally harmful or incorrect.
Trauma or a sudden pivot
A sudden direction change or injury can be associated with labral damage. Severe pain after a substantial impact first requires consideration of whether urgent medical assessment is needed before exercise-based care begins.
Different coverage or stability
Dysplasia or hypermobility can alter the demands on the labrum. This is not always managed in the same way as impingement and may require medical investigation to clarify the safest and most useful strategy.
Load and recovery mismatch
A rapid increase in training can exceed current hip tolerance. Fatigue and insufficient recovery may maintain symptoms without independently explaining a structural finding on imaging. Adjusting exposure can therefore matter even when anatomy cannot be changed.
Our Treatment Approach
We examine hip mobility, strength, pelvic control and the movements that reproduce your familiar symptoms. Provocation tests contribute to clinical reasoning but do not independently confirm a labral tear. Exercises strengthen the gluteal muscles, other hip muscles and trunk within tolerable ranges. Depending on your goals, the program progresses towards lunges, single-leg loading, running and direction changes. Changing chair height, squat depth or sporting volume can reduce repeated irritation without creating a permanent ban on movement. We avoid pushing stretches into deep pinching and do not assume every hip should achieve identical motion. If substantial pain, catching or restricted function persists despite a structured approach, medical review can clarify whether imaging or specialist options are appropriate. Your response to ordinary activities is monitored alongside exercise performance so that gains in the clinic translate into practical improvements at home, at work and in sport. Exercise dosage matters as much as exercise selection. Resistance, repetitions, rest breaks and frequency are matched to your starting point. Mild discomfort may sometimes be acceptable, but sharp pain, an increasing limp or a flare that remains worse the next day means the load should be reduced and discussed with us. Hands-on techniques may provide temporary relief when appropriate; they do not replace active rehabilitation. Follow-up visits review meaningful functional markers, adjust the plan and build independence rather than creating an open-ended need for passive treatment. We also discuss how to maintain progress when your schedule changes or a temporary flare interrupts your routine.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your first appointment includes a review of your history, goals, health conditions and current treatments. Wear clothing that allows movement and bring any relevant medical or imaging reports you already have. Examination is adjusted to your tolerance; you can ask for a break or decline a technique. We explain our findings, the limits of the assessment and any reasons to seek medical care. You leave with a manageable home plan and guidance about expected responses. Follow-up frequency reflects your needs, progress and availability rather than a fixed package of appointments. Questions are welcome, especially if you are unsure how to fit rehabilitation around work, family or other health conditions.
At-Home Self-Care Tips
- Temporarily reduce deep positions that cause pinching
- Change position regularly during seated work
- Reduce fast pivots during a flare
- Strengthen within the ranges taught in your program
- Do not force stretches into deep groin pain
- Reintroduce running and direction changes gradually
Prognosis & Recovery Timeline
Some people improve substantially with rehabilitation and activity changes; others have persistent limitations and benefit from specialist review. Progress is assessed over weeks or months rather than after a single exercise. A tear may remain visible even when pain decreases. Surgery is not automatic, and its relevance depends on agreement between symptoms, examination, imaging and personal goals. Physiotherapy can build capacity without removing every anatomical constraint, and uncertainty about the main pain source sometimes requires further assessment.
When to See Us at Réhabital
Book when recurrent groin pain limits sport, sitting or movement. After a fall, impact or sudden pain with inability to bear weight, seek prompt medical or emergency assessment. Fever with a very painful hip, unusual constant pain, unexplained weight loss or marked deterioration warrants medical review. Substantial locking also needs medical attention. Sudden groin pain accompanied by acute testicular pain is an emergency rather than a physiotherapy problem. Symptoms should not be attributed to a known labral finding without reconsideration when the pattern changes.
Why Réhabital Clinic
Réhabital is on the ground floor of Cavendish Mall at D4-5800 Cavendish Boulevard in Côte Saint-Luc, on the Island of Montréal. Access is stair-free and parking is free. Evening and Sunday hours make it easier to arrange care around work and family responsibilities. Colin Teghen Tamuton is a physiotherapist and OPPQ member. Massage therapy and osteopathy are also available; they do not replace active rehabilitation or medical assessment when needed. We issue private-insurance receipts. Physiotherapy fees are listed on the Pricing page. The 10% first-clinic-visit discount does not apply to physiotherapy. Book through Jane App or call (438) 842-3550. Appointments take place at the clinic; home visits are not offered.
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Address
D4-5800 Cavendish Blvd
Côte Saint-Luc, QC H4W 2T5
Phone
(438) 842-3550Hours
Mon–Fri: 10AM–8PM
Sun: 10AM–4PM
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