BOSTON -- Forward Tyler Seguin has been arguably the Bruins' best player so far in what is shaping up to be a breakout season, but looming in the background is a question about his long-term health.

Seguin has a congenital hip condition that makes him more susceptible to a hip injury, according to league and team sources.

The condition could lead to an injury that requires surgery and potentially shorten his career, the sources said, but is not a concern for the short-term, nor is it affecting him presently.

The condition increases the likelihood that the 19-year-old Seguin suffers a type of repetitive-stress degenerative hip injury if he isn't proactive about building and maintaining his strength in that area.

Tyler Seguin was born with a condition that makes him more susceptible to hip injuries, according to sources. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

"The worst-case scenario is they start to develop recurring symptoms consistent of a groin pull, hip flexor strains, difficulty getting their hips in certain positions, reduced rotation, increase in pain and reduced levels of performance," renown hip expert and surgeon Dr. Bryan Kelly, who has not examined Seguin, said in describing a worst-case scenario for a hockey player who is battling a congenital hip condition. Kelly has performed hip surgeries on Bruins Tim Thomas and David Krejci, as well as former Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, among many other athletes.

It's important to note that hip disorders are common among hockey players. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli estimated that 70 percent of his players have hip issues and that it is "nothing to be alarmed about." Chiarelli insisted Seguin's condition is not serious.

"I'm not going to comment whether it's congenital or not," Chiarelli said. "I don't want to get into details what we think it is or isn't and I don't want any alarm bells going off. Like I said, you can go through our roster and there are probably 12 or 13 guys with something similar or the same thing.

"I'm not going to comment on any of our players' medical conditions that aren't really an issue," added Chiarelli. "We have guys with sore ankles and they play through it, so it's not something I'm going to comment on."

When asked whether he was concerned about Seguin's hip, Chiarelli was clear.

"No, I'm not," he said.

Kelly has talked to the Bruins about Seguin's condition. He explained that preemptive measures can be taken in cases like Seguin's.

"With Tyler I've never seen his X-rays and I don't know the specifics of what his problem is," Kelly said. "I've talked a little bit to the team about that he may have something going on, but there are a lot of different types of problems that have some significant implications, and some that have minimal implications and some are really easy to fix.

"The one thing we've learned is if we identify that there's a structural problem early, because we have such good treatment options for these patients, we're a little bit more inclined to just treat it and not wait for it to become an issue and if you can treat it before it's an issue then that's the best-case scenario. We're trying to identify these problems before they become so far advanced that there's not much you can do and then you're in salvage mode rather than operation mode."

Krejci and Thomas both developed hip injuries that eventually required surgery, though it is unknown whether either had a pre-existing susceptibility to such a condition, as Seguin has. Both Krejci and Thomas played through the discomfort until they reached the offseason, when they opted for surgery.