Return to Long-Distance Running After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Sports medicine
• Running biomechanics

Background:

• Arthroscopic hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) shows high return-to-sport rates.
• Patient outcomes regarding return to long-distance running after FAIS surgery remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the return-to-running rates in long-distance runners after arthroscopic hip surgery for FAIS.
• To identify factors influencing return to long-distance running in this patient subgroup.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series analysis of a hip preservation registry.
• Inclusion of long-distance runners (half/full marathons) undergoing primary hip arthroscopy for FAIS.
• Data collection on demographics, injury characteristics, and running metrics; multivariable logistic regression for risk factor analysis.

Main Results:

• 74% of runners returned to some form of running, but only 50% (37% of the total cohort) returned to long-distance running.
• Common reasons for not returning included pain (50%), fear of reinjury (22%), and new injuries (22%).
• Female runners demonstrated a significantly lower likelihood of returning to long-distance running (OR 0.2, P=0.03).

Conclusions:

• While most FAIS patients return to running, a significantly lower proportion achieve their pre-injury long-distance running levels.
• Female sex is a predictor of reduced return to long-distance running post-arthroscopic hip surgery.
• Findings aid clinicians in counseling FAIS patients considering surgery about long-distance running expectations.