Background: Hip arthroscopy has been shown to be an effective treatment for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) in high-level athletes; however, limited outcome and return-to-play data exist for hip arthroscopy in skiers and snowboarders.
Purposes: To determine the return-to-sports rate of elite skiers and snowboarders who have undergone hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI and to assess hip-related outcomes at a minimum 2-year follow-up.
Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.
Methods: Elite skiers and snowboarders who underwent hip arthroscopy for the treatment of FAI between 2005 and 2018 were identified via a retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Data were obtained from fis-ski.org, usskiandsnowboard.org, xgames.com, and wikipedia.org, including information on each player's career length, participation on a national team, and time between surgery and first competition after surgery. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were prospectively collected preoperatively and at minimum 2 years postoperatively.
Results: In total, 26 elite skiers and snowboarders (34 hips) were included. The mean ± standard deviation age at surgery was 24.5 ± 6.7 years (range, 18.7-46.8 years). A total of 85% (22/26) returned to elite-level competition at 8.9 months (range, 2.9-23.7 months) with an average career length of 3.6 ± 2.7 years after surgery. Four athletes (5 hips) required revision arthroscopy, with adhesions being the most frequent indication. At a mean follow-up of 7.7 ± 3.2 years, significant improvement in PROs (P < .05) was demonstrated for the Hip Outcome Score (HOS)-Activities of Daily Living (from 76 ± 20 to 95 ± 6), HOS-Sport Specific Subscale (from 63 ± 28 to 92 ± 14), modified Harris Hip Score (from 70 ± 19 to 89 ± 12), and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary (from 45 ± 11 to 54 ± 8). Patient satisfaction had a mean of 8 ± 2 (range, 1-10) and median of 10.
Conclusion: The return-to-competition rate in elite skiers and snowboarders after hip arthroscopy for FAI was 85% at an average of 8.9 months and with a career length of 3.6 years after surgery. Significant improvement in PROs was demonstrated for the HOS-Activities of Daily Living, HOS-Sport Specific Subscale, modified Harris Hip Score, and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary, with a median patient satisfaction score of 10. These findings support hip arthroscopy as an effective procedure for the treatment of FAI in elite skiers and snowboarders with symptomatic activity-limiting hip pain, allowing them to return to their previous levels of competition at a high rate.
Keywords: femoroacetabular impingement; hip arthroscopy; return to play; skier; snowboarder.