ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Mike Lowell knows what his problem is. There’s just not a lot he can do about it right now.

Before the Red Sox series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night at Tropicana Field, Lowell acknowledged to WEEI.com that the injury to his right hip has been diagnosed as a slight labral tear and may require surgery after the season.

Lowell also said that the injury to the labrum in his right side, which was identified when undergoing an MRI for his ailing oblique, was most likely brought on by a degenerative hip condition many hockey players find themselves inflicted with.

“They’re telling me as long as I can tolerate it won’t be any worse,” Lowell said. “With any muscle or ligament something can happen, but I don’t think I run that fast to get to that point. I guess you can find comfort in that. I just go out and deal with it and in the offseason this is going to be addressed.

“I just don’t think I can go the whole year next year knowing this is going to happen. When I talk to the doctors I tell them I want to do the best thing to prevent this from happening. There are always going to be little things throughout the season, but they go away. This has been going on way too long.”

Lowell said he first felt the tightness in his hip during the Red Sox’ second trip to Tropicana Field, in late June.

“I don’t remember one thing, I just remember getting tight,” said Lowell, who said he couldn’t be sure the tear wouldn’t get worse by playing through the season. “It just got the point where I think I needed artificial help (in the form of the first of what would be three cortisone shots).”

The Mayo Clinic Web site offers the definition for a hip labral tear as: “The socket of your hip joint (acetabulum) is lined by cartilage called your labrum. This cartilage provides stability and cushioning for your hip joint, allowing the ball of your thighbone (femur) to move smoothly and painlessly in the socket.

“A tear in your labrum, known as a hip labral tear or acetabular labral tear, can result from injury, repetitive movements that cause wear-and-tear on your hip joint, or degeneration, such as from osteoarthritis.

“In many cases, a hip labral tear causes no signs or symptoms and doesn't require treatment. Occasionally, however, a hip labral tear may cause pain or a "catching" sensation in the hip joint.

“When treatment for a hip labral tear is necessary, it may consist of physical therapy, medications or a combination. Less frequently, surgery is necessary to treat a hip labral tear.”

While the arthroscopic procedure isn’t a certainty, Lowell insinuated that the out-patient operation, which would be followed by rehabilitation, might have to be the answer to what has been a problem he wants to leave behind after this season.

Until then, the third baseman will most likely have to deal with what he calls a “grabbing” sensation. Last Thursday, Lowell received his third cortisone shot, leaving him with another source of pain that didn’t start to subside until well into the Sox’ weekend series against Toronto.
“This is the fourth day since the last start and I would like to be believe it’s taking effect,” he said. “The day after (the most recent shot) was easily my toughest day, the (Friday night) game against Toronto. I had swelling and a lot of trauma to the area. It’s not the most comfortable injection in the world. I would like to think I’m getting a little better each day, although I don’t think it will be 100 percent this year.”

Since coming off the 15-day disabled list with the oblique injury Lowell entered last night hitting .323 with two homers in nine games. He homered in his first at-bat Monday night.

This isn’t the first time he has faced the prospects of heading into the postseason battling an injury, having come back from a broken hand just a few days before the end of the 2003 regular season.

“I would say over the long time frame, this has been the longest where something has been holding me back from playing at full capacity,” Lowell said. “During this time of season I still get excited about going to the park.

“It grabs me when I have to run or make that first move, but on a ground ball I just need a couple of steps and hopefully I make the play. It’s not like I’m going to keel over on the floor, it’s just something that is very uncomfortable and it bites at you. You think about it all the time because it happens on every play, but I don’t think it’s something that should keep me out of the lineup.”