The labrum is a layer of muscle that helps holds the ball-shaped hip joint in place.

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After years of robust financial health, artificial knee- and hip-joint maker Stryker ( SYK) has suffered aches and pains the last couple years.

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Think of the labrum as a ring of soft tissue that holds the ball of the femur, or thighbone, snugly in the hip joint's socket.

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There was also the prospect of long-term damage to the joint, plus a hip replacement, that would have affected his day-to-day life outside cricket.

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