INNOVATION IN HIP ARTHROSCOPY: IS IT POSSIBLE TO PREVENT HIP OSTEOARTHRITIS IN THE PATIENT?

J Sports Med, Apr 2011
Ellis HB, Briggs KK, Philippon MJ.
The hip is the second most common site of injury in collegiate athletes and accounts for 2-5% of all sports injuries. Hip and groin pain in the athlete has long been linked to structural abnormalities of the femoral neck and the acetabulum, and to pathology of the labrum. The relationship between osteoarthritis and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been demonstrated in many clinical and radiological studies, as well as in computer simulation studies. Successful treatment of the athlete with femoroacetabular impingement, and prevention of the subsequent damage to the labrum and the articular cartilage, has been well documented. New techniques, such as labral reconstruction, have been developed to address more complex injuries in athletes, while helping to protect the articular surfaces and reducing the risk of early osteoarthritis. In this way the painful hip in the athlete, an increasingly frequent condition, is being identified and treated with a greater likelihood of the athlete returning to activity without jeopardising long-term hip function or accelerating the progression of osteoarthritis.