High-Level Athletes Who Did Not Return to Sport for Reasons Unrelated to Their Hip Achieve Successful Midterm Outcomes With a Benchmarking Against High-Level Athletes Who Returned to Sport

High-Level Athletes Who Did Not Return to Sport for Reasons Unrelated to Their Hip Achieve Successful Midterm Outcomes With a Benchmarking Against High-Level Athletes Who Returned to Sport

Authors: Jimenez AE, Monahan PF, Owens JS, Lee MS, Maldonado DR, Saks BR, Ankem HK, Lall AC, Domb BG
DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2021.11.040

Background

Not all high-level athletes return to sport after hip arthroscopy for FAIS, often due to reasons unrelated to their hip health. It’s unclear how this impacts their overall recovery and functional outcomes.

Methods

Outcomes of professional, collegiate, and high school athletes who underwent hip arthroscopy were compared between those who returned to sport (RTS) and those who did not (T athletes) for non-hip-related reasons. PROs were assessed at 2 and 5 years.

Key Findings

• Both groups showed similar improvements in PROs, including pain and function.
• Rates of achieving minimal clinically important differences were comparable.
• Return to sport status alone did not influence midterm hip recovery.

Conclusions

Athletes who do not return to sport for non-hip reasons can still expect significant and sustained improvement after hip arthroscopy.

What Does This Mean for Providers?

• When counseling athletes, clarify that return to sport is influenced by multiple factors beyond hip recovery.
• Emphasize that functional improvement and pain relief can be excellent even if athletes change career or lifestyle.
• Use these findings to set realistic expectations and reduce patient anxiety about return to sport as the sole measure of surgical success.