Supermarket Hip : An Unusual Cause of Injury to the Hip Joint

Sporting activity can be a significant cause of injury to the hip joint, in particular tears of the acetabular labrum and, less commonly, tears of the ligamentum teres. Femoroacetabular impingement and acetabular dysplasia are also commonly associated with labral tears. However, shopping in a supermarket would not normally be regarded as an at-risk activity for the hip joint. Despite this, we report 3 separate cases of hip injury (2 labral tears, 1 partial avulsion of the ligamentum teres), each of which was sustained while shopping in a supermarket. None of the 3 patients involved had radiographic evidence of acetabular dysplasia or arthroscopic evidence of femoroacetabular impingement. All patients were successfully treated by arthroscopic surgery of the hip. We therefore suggest that shopping in a supermarket may need to be reclassified as an at-risk activity for the hip joint.