Rates of return to play after arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement in high-level baseball players

Femoroacetabular impingement is increasingly being recognised in sports involving vigorous lateral movements, including football, hockey and American football. More recently, the incidence of the condition has also been recognised in athletes whose activities involve raising the arm above the level of the head. The purpose of this study, from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, was to review the patterns of femoroacetabular impingement, the rates of return to play and the clinical outcome after arthroscopic treatment in high-level baseball players.
Between 2010 and 2014, 70 high-level baseball players were identified. Their demographic details and their rates of return to play were recorded. The Modified Harris Hip Score, the Hip Outcome Score-Activity of Daily Living and Sport-specific Subscale hip assessment scales were used, as well as the International Hip Outcome Tool. These scales were used preoperatively and also postoperatively at six months and one year.
The cohort consisted of professional college athletes, high-school athletes and athletes from various clubs. No association was observed between the pattern of impingement and the player's position on the field, or between the symptomatic side and the dominant side. In one patient revision arthroscopy was required because of infection. The rate of return to play was 88% over a mean period of 8.6 months, with 97.7% of patients returning to their pre-injury level of sport. There was a statistically significant difference on all the hip assessment scales.
The authors of the study found that in high-level baseball players arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement produced high rates of return to play in the medium term, with significant improvement in all the scores on the hip assessment scales.
Source: “Physical Sports Medicine”, August 2016