If you've been told your hip pain comes from "cam morphology" or "pincer impingement" and left with little beyond "modify activity and see a physical therapist," you're not imagining the gap. Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a mechanical diagnosis — extra bone at the femoral head-neck junction or over the acetabular rim — but what actually determines whether that shape turns into a torn…

If you've been told to "just rest it," "stretch more," or "strengthen your hip flexors" and the deep, nagging ache at the front of your hip still hasn't budged, you already know that generic advice runs out fast.