Return to Play Among Golfers Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy: Short- to Mid-term Follow-up

There are approximately 25 million amateur golfers in the United States, making up almost 10% of the entire US population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate short-term outcomes and rates of return to sport among recreational golfers who underwent hip arthroscopy for the treatment of labral tears. Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed for patients who underwent hip arthroscopy by one surgeon between August 2008 and February 2015. Exclusion criteria were previous ipsilateral hip surgeries or conditions, preoperative Tönnis osteoarthritis grade greater than 1, or workers' compensation status. Patients who played golf at a recreational level within 1 year prior to their surgery, attempted to return to golf postoperatively, and had preoperative and minimum 2-year postoperative measures for the modified Harris hip score, Nonarthritic Hip Score, Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific Subscale, and visual analog scale for pain were included in the final cohort. Data on return to sport, surgical complications, and secondary surgeries were recorded. Of the 49 patients eligible for inclusion, 40 (81.6%) had minimum 2-year follow-up at a mean of 51.0 months. Mean age at surgery was 49.1 years. All patient-reported outcomes and visual analog scale scores were significantly improved at latest follow-up. Thirty-six (90%) of the 40 patients returned to golf after surgery. Hip arthroscopy leads to significant improvement in patient-reported outcomes and a high rate of return to sport for recreational golfers presenting with labral tears. Therefore, it is a good treatment option for this patient population. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(4):e545-e549.].