Amateur and recreational athletes return to sport at a high rate after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement

The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of return to sporting activity, the patient-reported scores and satisfaction between high-level amateur and recreational athletes, and to assess the differences between these groups in their ability to return to sporting activity, according to characteristics related to the athlete and to the sporting activity.
Data were retrieved for 66 consecutive athletes who underwent hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement. The athletes were classified as high-level amateur or recreational. They were also separated into six distinct categories according to the physical demands placed on the hip. The two-year patient-reported outcomes included a sport-specific questionnaire, the modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS), the Hip Outcome Scores with Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL) and the Sports-Specific subscales (HOS-SS).
Of the 66 patients, 49 were recreational and 17 high-level amateurs. After two years all the outcome scores had improved significantly, with no differences between the two groups of athletes. There was a high rate of return to sport in both the recreational and the high-level amateur athletes.
The authors concluded that the recreational athletes, although significantly older than the high-level amateurs in the other group, returned to play at a similarly high rate and with comparable outcome scores. A longer postoperative break from sporting activity significantly delays the return to it. In addition, a longer preoperative break from sporting activity and a higher preoperative body mass index were associated with less improvement in the outcome scores.
Source: “Arthroscopy”, December 2016