Elizabeth Strumpf, an avid skier, took a tumble last year on an expert trail. When she got up, she felt a dull ache in her hip that worsened and grew even more painful after intense exercise or activity. She soon found she could not sit for more than 10 minutes without increasing discomfort.

“I had pain snaking down the back of my leg just driving my daughter to school,” says Strumpf, a mother of two who met her husband, Lance, on the slopes. “Then, at the gym, I started feeling sharp pain in my hip. Eventually, it hurt too much to work out, something I really enjoyed and missed.”

She’s now back to her active life and the sport she loves after treatment by Justin Saliman, MD. The Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center surgeon ran tests, including a contrast MRI, finding Strumpf showed signs of femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) – a condition in which the irregular shape or rough edges of the femur (thigh) bone rubs or pinches soft tissue in the hip joint. This can lead to fraying or tearing of surrounding cartilage, causing pain and damage that may develop into arthritis or prompt the need for major surgery.