I have been studying pain science and neuroscience for the last 10 months. I got in to it through my own hip pain issue, and being unhappy with the explanations given for how massage therapy works.
Pain is complex. Tissue damage will not necessarily result in pain and it is common for people to be walking around with “damaged” tissue and be completely pain free-High prevalence of pelvic and hip magnetic resonance imaging findings in asymptomatic collegiate and professional hockey players - PubMed.
So in your case where pain is chronic, it is even less likely that pain is caused by the tears, as tissue damaged initially by the spur will have long since healed. It’s possible you have some mechanical pain-tension in a nerve. The signals that nerve sends may be interpreted as a threat by the brain. Pain is the brains protective response.
Give this a try and see if it helps:
http://www.somasimple.com/forums/showpost.php?p=141302&postcount=9
Experimenting with kinesiotape may also help.
If the bone spur is not physically blocking your hip flexion, only the pain, surgery may be unnecessary. Many physios, doctors and surgeons do not properly understand pain. If you let me know where you live, I may be able to point you in the direction of a physio who does and can advise on the best course of action.