Improved Squat and Gait Biomechanics 6-Months Post-Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess gait and squat biomechanics 6-months following arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement. METHODS: Symptomatic patients with clinical and radiographic diagnosis of FAI who had failed non-operative treatment underwent gait and squat analysis preoperatively and at 6-months postoperatively following arthroscopic surgery for FAI. Age- and BMI-matched controls without radiographic FAI or other lumbar or lower extremity pathology underwent a single analysis for comparison. Comparisons between preoperative and 6-month postoperative gait and squat parameters as well as comparison to the control group were performed using paired and independent sample t-tests. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Fifteen FAI patients and 9 controls were analyzed. Age for the patients vs. controls was 28.7±9.6 y vs. 27.8±6.5 y (p>0.05), respectively; while BMI was 23.5±5.1 kg/m2 vs. 22.8±3.5 kg/m2 (p>0.05). All gait parameters were unchanged between preoperative and 6-month postoperative testing (p>0.05), with a trend toward significance for hip external rotation moment (p=0.056) (Table 1). Squat testing revealed that FAI arthroscopic surgery increased maximum hip extension (p=0.011), with a trend toward significance for hip adduction moment (p=0.059). All other squat parameters did not differ from preoperative to 6-month follow-up (p>0.05). Compared to the control group, preoperative FAI patients had reduced hip external rotation moment during gait (p=0.024), with a trend toward significance for hip abduction moment (p=0.082). No other gait or squat differences were detected between FAI patients preoperatively or 6-months postoperatively compared to controls (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Biomechanical gait and squat analysis at 6-month follow-up from arthroscopic FAI surgery revealed a tendency to improve external hip rotation during gait and maximum hip extension and hip adduction during squat. Arthroscopic surgery for FAI may help to restore the reported altered gluteal function by the early 6 months postoperative timepoint.