Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-019-05683-0 HIP Arthroscopic correction of femoroacetabular impingement improves athletic performance in male athletes Karen Mullins 1  · Michael Hanlon 2  · Patrick Carton 2,3 Received: 28 January 2019 / Accepted: 19 August 2019 © European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy (ESSKA) 2019 Abstract Purpose To measure the changes in athletic performance in athletes treated arthroscopically for femoroacetabular impinge- ment 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, con- trol 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). Signifcant 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 (signifcant time × group interaction efects were noted for these also). The changes in performance in the control group over time were non-signifcant across all of the measures (n.s.). At 1-year postsurgery, there were no statistically signifcant diferences between the groups for any of the athletic measures. There was a signifcant 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 plac- ing 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. Keywords Femoroacetabular impingement · FAI · Arthroscopy · Hip injury · Athletes · Sports injury · Athletic performance Introduction Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a pathological hip condition common among the athletic population [1–7, 11] characterised by the development of abnormal bony hip morphology leading to activity-related pain and stifness [15, 16, 43]. Two types of bony deformities have been described; a cam deformity occurs when excessive bone growth develops on the femoral head/neck junction and a pincer deformity results from a localised or global over- growth of the acetabular rim. It is common, however, for patients to present with a combination of both. Repetitive * Karen Mullins Karen.Mullins@lit.ie Michael Hanlon mhanlon@wit.ie Patrick Carton pcarton.secretary@whitfeld.com 1 Department of Sports Leisure and Tourism, Limerick Institute of Technology, Moylish Park, Limerick, Ireland 2 Department of Health Sport and Exercise Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Co Waterford, Ireland 3 The Hip and Groin Clinic, UPMC Whitfeld, Co Waterford, Ireland