85% Return to Skiing After Hip Arthroscopy

The return-to-competition rate in elite skiers and snowboarders after hip arthroscopy a very impressive 85%, according to a new study.

The study, “Femoroacetabular Impingement in Elite Skiers and Snowboarders: Return to Sports and Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy,” was published online on April 6, 2022 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Hip arthroscopy has been shown to be an effective treatment for femoroacetabular impingement [FAI] in high-level athletes; however, limited outcome and return-to-play data exist for hip arthroscopy in skiers and snowboarders,” the researchers wrote.

The purpose of the study was to determine the return-to-sports rate of elite skiers and snowboarders who have undergone hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI and to assess hip-related outcomes at a minimum two-year follow-up.

Data was collected retrospectively from procedures conducted between 2005 and 2018. Twenty-six elite skiers and snowboarders (34 hips) were included in the analysis. The mean age was 24 years.

Overall, a total of 85% returned to elite-level competition at 8.9 months (range, 2.9-23.7 months) with an average career length of 3.6 ± 2.7 years after surgery. Four of the athletes required revision arthroscopy. Adhesions were the most frequent indication.

At a mean follow-up of 7.7 ±3.2 years, significant improvement in patient-reported outcomes (p < .05) occurred in Hip Outcome Score – Activities of Daily Living (from 76 ±20 to 95 ±6), Hip Outcome Score-Sport Specific Subscale (from 63 ±28 to 92 ±14), modified Harris Hip Score (from 70 ±19 to 89 ±12), and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary (from 45 ±11 to 54 ±8). Patient satisfaction had a mean of 8 ±2 (range, 1-10) and median of 10.

“These findings support hip arthroscopy as an effective procedure for the treatment of FAI in elite skiers and snowboarders with symptomatic activity-limiting hip pain, allowing them to return to their previous levels of competition at a high rate,” the researchers wrote.

The study authors include Robert A. Waltz, M.D., CDR, MC, USN, Spencer M. Comfort, BS, Lauren A. Pierpoint, Ph.D., Karen K. Briggs, MPH and Marc J. Philippon, M.D., all of Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado.