Return to previous activity level for non-athlete patients after periacetabular osteotomy

Reorientation of the acetabulum through a periacetabular osteotomy is 1 of the increasingly popular treatment modalities for hip dysplasia. The purpose of this study is to assess the timing of recovery, return to previous activities, driving and painless full weight-bearing for non-athlete patients undergoing a periacetabular osteotomy for borderline or true hip dysplasia.

Patients who underwent a periacetabular osteotomy between 2018 and 2022 were eligible for enrollment. Patients with at least 2 years of follow-up, with complete radiological and clinical data were included. The following parameters were evaluated on pelvic radiographs: lateral centre-edge angle, anterior centre-edge angle, acetabular inclination angle, extrusion index, anterior wall index, and joint space width at the narrowest point.

A total of 40 patients were included. 4 patients were male (10%), average age was 24 years. Patients regained their preoperative activity levels in an average of 4.5 months (range 2-12 months). The average time for patients to walk without pain while bearing full weight was 3.4 months (range 2-5 months). Mean preoperative lateral centre-edge angle improved from 8.7° to 35.0°, while their mean preoperative anterior centre-edge angle increased from 11.6° to 33.1°. All clinical scores improved significantly when compared to their preoperative values.

Radiographic parameters and functional outcomes improve with periacetabular osteotomy. Non-athletic, moderately active patients returned to their pre-surgery activity levels on average 4.5 months after surgery and were able to walk without pain after an average of 3.4 months. A progressively narrowing preoperative joint space translates into longer pain-free full weight-bearing times.