Hip Arthroscopy in Nashville by Dr. Damon Petty
If you are an active adult or athlete with groin pain, catching in the hip, or a labral tear that has not improved with physical therapy, hip arthroscopy can often repair the damage and preserve your natural joint. Dr. Damon Petty is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist who performs hip arthroscopy through three Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance (TOA) offices in Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, with a refined outside-in surgical approach designed to protect the labrum and reduce traction time during surgery.
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Dr. Petty is board-certified in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and completed his sports medicine fellowship under Drs. James Andrews and William Clancy at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham. He treats hip arthroscopy patients as a surgeon who knows athletes well, with a patient rating on TOA of 4.7 out of 5 across more than 1,000 reviews. Request an appointment online or call the Brentwood office to get started.
What is Hip Arthroscopy?
Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that uses a small camera called an arthroscope, along with pencil-thin surgical tools, to diagnose and treat problems inside the hip joint. Through two or three incisions about a quarter inch long, your surgeon inserts the arthroscope, looks at the bones and soft tissues on a high-resolution monitor, and can repair a torn labrum, reshape bones causing impingement, or remove loose cartilage and bone fragments, all without the long recovery of open hip surgery.
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Because hip arthroscopy is an outpatient procedure, you go home the same day your surgeon performs the surgery. Most patients walk with crutches for the first week or two, begin physical therapy shortly after, and return to full activity within four to six months depending on what conditions were treated. Hip arthroscopy is primarily a hip preservation treatment and the arthroscope makes it possible to work on bones, labrum, and cartilage through incisions small enough to delay or prevent the need for a hip replacement later in life.
Hip Labral Tears
The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that lines the rim of the hip socket, deepens the socket, and seals the joint so it can move smoothly. A torn labrum is the most common reason patients come to Dr. Petty for hip arthroscopy treatment. Labral tears often show up as deep hip pain in the groin, a catching or clicking sensation, or pain that worsens with sitting, pivoting, or getting out of a car.
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Labral tears can be traumatic, like a sports injury or fall, or gradual, from underlying femoroacetabular impingement grinding away at the soft tissues over years. Left untreated, the damage can progress into early osteoarthritis of the hip. During arthroscopy, Dr. Petty uses the arthroscope to inspect every surface of the joint and then repairs the labrum with small suture anchors placed into the rim of the socket, reattaching the torn cartilage with stitches that pass through the labrum itself. For larger defects with poor tissue quality, labral augmentation or labral reconstruction with a graft may be considered.
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Whenever the tissue allows it, Dr. Petty repairs the labrum rather than trimming out the torn fragment. Repair protects the long-term health of the joint in a way that simple removal cannot.
Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) and Hip Impingement Surgery
Femoroacetabular impingement, commonly called hip impingement or FAI, is the most common cause of labral tears in younger active adults. It happens when the shape of the femoral head (the ball) or the acetabulum (the socket) is slightly off, and the bones pinch against each other during deep hip motion. Over time, that pinching damages the labrum, the surrounding cartilage, and the soft tissues inside the joint, and can lead to early hip osteoarthritis.
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There are two shapes of FAI, and many patients have both:
Addressing the bone shape at the same time as the labral repair is what prevents the tear from coming back. If a surgeon repairs the torn labrum and leaves the underlying impingement alone, the repair tends to fail and the patient ends up back in the operating room.
Snapping Hip Syndrome and Other Conditions Treated
Beyond labral repair and FAI surgery, hip arthroscopy can address several other hip conditions that have not responded to rest, injections, or physical therapy. Dr. Petty treats these additional conditions with arthroscopic care:
Most of these conditions come down to a mechanical problem inside the hip, and most respond well to a targeted arthroscopic repair.
The Outside-In Technique: A Gentler Hip Arthroscopy
Traditional hip arthroscopy relies on heavy joint distraction (traction) and blind insertion of the working cannula directly into the distracted joint, which raises the risk of scoring the labrum or the cartilage during setup. Dr. Petty has refined his approach around a safer outside-in technique inspired by the German hip arthroscopist Dr. Michael Dienst.
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The outside-in approach begins the entry just anterior to the hip capsule instead of through a blind cannula placement. This protects the labrum from iatrogenic damage during setup and cuts down on how long and how hard the leg has to be pulled in traction. Less traction means less risk to the groin nerves, less bruising, and a gentler first week of recovery.
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Dr. Petty’s complication rate on labral repair sits below published national and international benchmarks. When a case is unusually complex, like a revision arthroscopy or severe hip dysplasia, he sometimes refers to his longtime colleague Dr. Thomas Byrd, an internationally recognized hip arthroscopy pioneer also in Nashville. Dr. Petty would rather send a patient to the right surgeon than take on a case he is not the ideal fit for.
Who is a Candidate for Hip Arthroscopy?
Hip arthroscopy is generally recommended for active patients, usually younger than 60, who have mechanical hip pain from a labral tear, impingement, or loose fragment and who have not gotten relief from non-surgical options. The ideal candidate has groin pain for three to six months, pain with sitting or pivoting, imaging that confirms the source of the problem, and relatively well-preserved cartilage.
Ideal candidates hip arthroscopy if
Your hip pain limits your ability to run, cut, pivot, or sit comfortably.
Anti-inflammatories, activity modification, and physical therapy have not resolved the problem.
An MRI or MR arthrogram shows a labral tear, cam or pincer morphology, or loose bodies.
You do not have advanced arthritis on X-ray.
Patients with significant arthritis are generally better served by a hip replacement or, for active males who qualify, Birmingham Hip Resurfacing. Dr. Petty offers the full hip program under one provider, so if arthroscopy is not the right procedure for you, a better option is almost always available without a referral.
Hip Arthroscopy vs. Hip Replacement
Hip arthroscopy and hip replacement address different problems in different patients. This simple comparison helps most patients place themselves:
Hip Arthroscopy
Under 60, active
Minimal to none
Preserve the natural joint
None
4 to 6 months to full sport
2 to 3 tiny incisions
Hip Replacement
Usually 60 or older
Moderate to severe
Replace the damaged joint
Cup, stem, ball, liner
3 to 6 months to full activity
One larger anterior or posterior incision
Typical age
Arthritis level
Goal
Implant
Recovery
Incisions
Hip arthroscopy may delay or eliminate the need for a hip replacement. It is not a guarantee, but for patients with a mechanical problem on top of a mostly healthy joint, repairing the underlying issue early is often the most durable answer.
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
Hip arthroscopy at TOA is performed as an outpatient procedure. On the day of your surgery:
The surgical procedure usually takes about ninety minutes to two hours depending on what your surgeon has to repair inside the hip.
Hip Arthroscopy Recovery
Most patients use crutches for one to two weeks after surgery and begin structured physical therapy within the first week. Your recovery is a team effort between you, your surgeon, and your physical therapist. Full recovery timelines depend on what was done inside the hip, but a general guide looks like this:
Dr. Petty’s team coordinates directly with your physical therapist, and for athletes, with your athletic trainer or strength coach, so the rehab protocol is matched to your sport and your goals.
Risks and Complications
As with any surgery, hip arthroscopy carries some risk. Because it is minimally invasive, rates of serious complications are low, but the complications to be aware of include:
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Temporary numbness or tingling in the groin, thigh, or foot from traction
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Infection at the incision site or inside the joint
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Blood clots in the leg veins
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Residual or recurrent hip pain if the underlying anatomy is not fully corrected
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Progression of osteoarthritis that eventually requires a hip replacement
Dr. Petty’s outside-in technique and shorter traction times are meant to lower the risk of nerve symptoms and labral injury at the start of the case. He reviews every risk with you in detail at your pre-op visit.
Why Choose Dr. Petty for Hip Arthroscopy
Patients across Middle Tennessee and the Eastern United States come to Dr. Petty for hip arthroscopy for a few specific reasons:
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Board-certified in Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
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Sports medicine fellowship under Drs. James Andrews and William Clancy at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham
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25-plus years of orthopedic surgical experience, including hip arthroscopy, hip replacement, and Birmingham Hip Resurfacing under one provider
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Refined outside-in arthroscopic technique adapted from Dr. Michael Dienst
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Ongoing collaboration with internationally recognized hip arthroscopy pioneer Dr. Thomas Byrd for complex cases
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4.7 out of 5 stars across 1,000-plus TOA patient reviews
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Three Middle Tennessee office locations: Brentwood, Franklin, and Nashville One City
Dr. Petty served as Head Orthopedic Team Physician for the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2026 and has been team physician for Tennessee State University for 15 years. He treats athletes and active weekend athletes alike, so your hip is in the hands of a surgeon who sits on NFL sidelines on Sundays and treats hip conditions at TOA Monday through Friday.
Patient Reviews
This is my second go around with Dr. Petty. He is professional, thorough, and meticulous when it comes to his patients! I would recommend him 10/10 every-time and to anybody
— Monte Smith
“Exceptional experience. Dr Petty lived up to his reputation. Clearly knowledgable but he listens, too.”
​— Jeff Freas
“Dr Damon Petty is the best! He’s genuine. He’s honest and he’s skilled.
— Gary VanAtta
Great expertise and knowledge on where the medicine should be applied and why.
— Healthgrades
Hip Arthroscopy FAQ
Schedule a Hip Arthroscopy Consultation in Nashville
If a labral tear, hip impingement, or nagging groin pain is keeping you from the activity you love, Dr. Petty can review your imaging, confirm where the pain is coming from, and walk you through whether hip arthroscopy is right for you.
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We serve patients from Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Lebanon, and the greater Middle Tennessee area. Dr. Petty also sees patients who travel for world-class care, some from over 500 miles away, including recent patients from Kansas City, drawn by his specific expertise and reputation.