Socioeconomic Disparities in Physical Therapy Use Before Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A...

OBJECTIVES: To (a) estimate the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and the use and frequency of physical therapy visits in the year preceding hip arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome in Denmark and (b) compare these associations before and after 2019, following international recommendations. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: A cohort of 5739 patients with FAI syndrome and hip arthroscopy (2012-2024) was identified from the Danish Hip Arthroscopy Registry. Physical therapy use (yes/no) and visit frequency in the year preceding surgery were identified from national registries. SEP was categorized as low, medium, or high based on a composite score of educational attainment, income, and labor market affiliation. Binomial and negative binomial regressions were used to estimate relative risk ratios (RRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs). RESULTS: Overall, 35.1% of patients used physical therapy before hip arthroscopy, with lower use among those in the low-SEP group (29.3%) compared to the high-SEP group (36.0%) (directed acyclic graph [DAG]-adjusted RR = 0.83 [95% CI: 0.70, 0.98]) and no significant difference in visit frequency (DAG-adjusted IRR = 0.79 [95% CI: 0.59, 1.07]). Use declined from 38.9% before 2019 to 30.1% after (DAG-adjusted RR = 0.77 [95% CI: 0.72, 0.83]), with visits decreasing from 3.95 to 2.59 (DAG-adjusted IRR = 0.64 [95% CI: 0.56, 0.74]). CONCLUSION: One third of patients used physical therapy in the year before hip arthroscopy in Denmark, with one fifth having 6 or more visits. Patients in the lowest SEP group were less likely to use physical therapy, while differences in visit frequency were not statistically significant. Use of physical therapy declined from 39% before 2019 to 30% after. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2025;55(12):1-9. Epub 30 October 2025. doi:10.2519/jospt.2025.13558.