Recreational Sports and Intra-articular Hip Injuries in Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the relationship between recreational sports and intra-articular hip injuries in an active population that had undergone hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of prospectively collected data from patients undergoing hip arthroscopy between January 2015 and December 2016. Inclusion criteria included patients between 18 and 50 years of age who had participated in recreational sports prior to surgery and had a minimum of a 2-year follow-up. Labral injury was evaluated using the Multicenter Arthroscopic Hip Outcome Research Network classification, and rim chondral injuries were evaluated using the Acetabular Labral Articular Disruptions system. Ligamentum teres tear and psoas impingement were also recorded. Sports were classified as rotational running (soccer, basketball, handball), flexibility (martial arts, dance), asymmetric-overhead (racquet), or endurance (running, swimming, cycling). Primary univariate analysis of sports’ independent associations, demographic characteristics, intra-articular hip injuries, and outcomes was performed. RESULTS: Patients included 185 people with a mean age of 36.7 years. Patients participating in rotational running sports and flexibility sports had a significantly greater proportion of rim chondral injuries than those participating in endurance sports or asymmetric overhead sports (P = 0.02). Ligamentum teres tears were significantly associated with flexibility sports (P < 0.001). A total of 84.7%, 67.7%, 67.2%, and 71.2% of patients met minimal clinically important difference levels for the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), the Hip Outcome Score (HOS)(10) questionnaire with activities of daily living (HOS-ADL), the sports subscale (HOS-SSS), and the International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), respectively; 94.9%, 66.2% and 62.7% met the patient acceptable symptom state for mHHS, HOS-ADL, and HOS-SSS, respectively; 86.7%, 48.5%, 47.8%, and 32.4% found substantial clinical benefit for mHHS, HOS-ADL, HOS-SSS, and iHOT-12, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Rotational running sports were significantly associated with rim chondral injuries. Flexibility sports were significantly associated with rim chondral injuries and ligamentum teres tears. Athletes participating in these sports are more likely to have intra-articular hip injuries than those in the other sports categories. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic case series.