Iliopsoas Syndrome in Dancers

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Dance Medicine

Background:

• Coxa saltans (snapping hip) can cause anterior hip pain, particularly in dancers.
• Internal coxa saltans with weakness or pain is termed iliopsoas syndrome, often due to repetitive hip flexion.
• Iliopsoas syndrome can be misdiagnosed as other hip pathologies, such as labral tears.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of iliopsoas syndrome in dancers.
• To describe clinical findings and treatment protocols for iliopsoas syndrome.
• To report treatment outcomes for iliopsoas syndrome in a dance population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series (Level of evidence, 4) analyzing 653 patients over 3 years.
• Diagnosis based on anterior hip/groin pain, weakness with resisted hip flexion in abduction, or positive iliopsoas test.
• Patients underwent physical therapy including stretching, strengthening, mobilization, and technique modification.

Main Results:

• 49 dancers diagnosed with iliopsoas syndrome; incidence was 9.2% in females vs. 3.2% in males.
• Higher incidence in younger dancers (<18 years: 12.8%) and student dancers (14%).
• All patients improved with conservative treatment; no surgical or injection interventions were required.

Conclusions:

• This is the largest reported series on non-invasively treated iliopsoas syndrome in dancers.
• Conservative treatment (NSAIDs, activity modification, physical therapy) is the primary approach.
• The study provides incidence data and a diagnostic/treatment algorithm for iliopsoas syndrome in dancers.