A labral hip tear is when the acetabular labrum (a layer of cartilage inside the hip's unique ball joint) is irritated and so becomes torn - in Gaga's case due to all her dancing, traveling, and walking. The labrum lets the femur move within the acetabulum (the round hip socket) and without it would just be bone upon bone. I was born with transient synovitis of the hips which causes the acetabular labrum to swell up and restrict the space of the ball joint which makes it painful to walk. I've never had a labral tear, but it seems much more painful than just swollen labrum. Fortunately it hardly ever irritates me anymore but when I was little it was terrible, so I can only imagine how she's feeling now. I never had to get surgery either. My whole entire heart along with millions of other monsters' goes out to Gaga right now. It stinks enough when I've had my synovitis act up, but a tear just sounds awful. However, it is an injury our warrior queen can overcome with time and rest. Get well soon! We love you so much ♥