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Arthroscopic correction of femoroacetabular impingement improves athletic performance in male athletes

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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

A Correction to this article was published on 24 October 2019

This article has been updated

Abstract

Purpose

To measure the changes in athletic performance in athletes treated arthroscopically for femoroacetabular impingement and compare results to a matched controlled athletic cohort, over a 1-year period.

Methods

Male athletes scheduled for arthroscopic correction of symptomatic FAI were recruited and tested (pre-operatively and 1-year postsurgery) for measures of athletic performance which included acceleration (10-m sprint), change of direction speed (CODS), squatting depth, and reactive strength index (RSI). The FAI group was compared to a matched, healthy, control group who were tested at baseline and 1 year later with no disruption to their regular training or competition status; the prevalence of anterior groin pain during testing in either group was recorded. Hip range of motion (ROM) was also measured for both groups at baseline and at 1 year in the FAI group to look for change following intervention.

Results

Prior to surgery, the FAI group were slower than the control group (p < 0.001) for acceleration (3% slower) and CODS (10% slower). At 1 year, 91% of the FAI group returned to full competition at an average time of 17 weeks, while substantial reductions in pain were also noted during acceleration (51–6%, p = 0.004), CODS (62–8%, p = 0.001), and squat test (38–8%, p = 0.003). Significant improvements were seen in the FAI group for CODS (7%, p < 0.001) and squat depth measures (6%, p = 0.004) from baseline to 1 year (significant time × group interaction effects were noted for these also). The changes in performance in the control group over time were non-significant across all of the measures (n.s.). At 1-year postsurgery, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups for any of the athletic measures. There was a significant and clinically important improvement in range of hip motion in the FAI group at 1-year postsurgery (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Symptomatic FAI causes substantial reductions in athletic performance compared to healthy competitors placing these athletes at a distinct performance disadvantage. The results from the current study demonstrate that arthroscopic correction (including labral repair) in athletes with symptomatic FAI, reduces pain and restores athletic performance to a level which is comparable to healthy athletes, at 1 year.

Level of evidence

II.

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Change history

  • 24 October 2019

    Unfortunately, the email of author “Patrick Carton“ was incorrectly updated in the original publication and correct version is updated here.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Leisure and Tourism, Limerick Institute of Technology, Moylish Park, Limerick, Ireland

    Karen Mullins

  2. Department of Health Sport and Exercise Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Co Waterford, Ireland

    Michael Hanlon & Patrick Carton

  3. The Hip and Groin Clinic, UPMC Whitfield, Co Waterford, Ireland

    Patrick Carton

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  1. Karen Mullins
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  2. Michael Hanlon
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  3. Patrick Carton
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Correspondence to Karen Mullins.

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Karen Mullins recieved a scholarship from the Institutes of Technology Ireland for the completion of a PhD.

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Ethical approval was granted by the research ethics committee at Waterford Institute of Technology (Reference number 13/HSES/09) prior to commencement.

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Mullins, K., Hanlon, M. & Carton, P. Arthroscopic correction of femoroacetabular impingement improves athletic performance in male athletes. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 28, 2285–2294 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-019-05683-0

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