Hip Arthroscopy Has Acceptable Return to Sport Outcomes for the Elite Athlete

Abstract

Intra-articular disorders of the hip in the elite athlete are common and potentially career threatening. Hip arthroscopy has been shown to be a safe and successful method of treating these conditions. This study examines the effectiveness of hip arthroscopy in facilitating an early return to professional level sport. We prospectively followed 65 professional athletes (mostly Australian Rules Football players) before and after hip arthroscopy using the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHS) and the Non-Arthritic Hip (NAH) Score. We followed them to the 1 year mark and recorded the time re-quired for them to return to sport. Follow-up was achieved in 100% of patients. Intraoperative findings included femoroacetabular impingement, labral pathology and ligamentum teres injuries. Both MHS and NAH Scores showed highly statistically significant improvements up to the 1 year mark. All but 3 athletes returned to professional level sport. The mean return to sport time was 11.9 weeks. The use of arthroscopy to manage common intra-articular hip disorders in elite athletes is safe, effective and facilitates an early return to sport.