Surgical dislocation of the hip is a highly specialized procedure in which the hip is carefully taken out of the socket to provide 360-degree access to both the acetabulum (hip socket) and the femoral head (ball joint at the top of the hip bone).

With a wide viewing angle, the surgeon can fully examine the labrum and articular surfaces, and perform therapeutic treatments such as bone shaving for impingement relief, major reshaping of the femoral head, and osteoarticular cartilage grafting.