Relationship between Femoroacetabular Impingement and Pubalgia in Professional Soccer Players

Objective  To analyze the relationship between pubalgia and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) in professional athletes of a soccer club, defining the prevalence of these conditions in the sample studied. Methods  It is an epidemiological, cross-sectional, and analytical study including 90 professional soccer players active from 2019 to 2021. We accessed the medical records of the subjects to retrieve information from the modified Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) protocol, orthopedic physical examination, and anteroposterior pelvic radiographs to assess pubalgia and FAI, respectively. Inclusion criteria were athletes playing in the professional soccer club in the 2019 to 2021 season, who underwent a modified PCMA upon admission, and who signed an informed consent form. Results  FAI was highly prevalent (85.6%) in the sample. This prevalence may occur because, in Brazil, people start playing sports early, not always in suitable fields, or with no proper equipment and supervision. In addition, the CAM-type impingement was the most frequent (62.2%). These injuries are related to high-intensity movements, including those associated with soccer. Furthermore, there is no dependency correlation between pubalgia and FAI. FAI was present in only 20% of athletes with pubalgia complaints. Conclusion  There was a high prevalence of FAI in professional soccer players in the studied population (85.6%) but with no relationship between FAI and pubalgia.