Amateur and Recreational Athletes Return to Sport at a High Rate Following Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement.

PURPOSE: To compare the return-to-play rates, patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores, and satisfaction between high-level amateur athletes and recreational athletes and to evaluate for differences in ability to return to sport in these groups based on patient-related and sport-related characteristics.

METHODS: Clinical data were retrieved for 66 (26 male/40 female) consecutive athletes undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement. Athletes were classified as high-level amateur or recreational. Athletes were also divided into 6 distinct sporting categories based on the physical demands on the hip. Preoperative and 2-year PROs including a sport-specific questionnaire, modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS), and Hip Outcome Scores with Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL) and Sports-Specific (HOS-SS) subscales were collected.

RESULTS: Of the 66 patients, 49 were recreational and 17 were high-level amateur athletes (10 high school and 7 collegiate). High-level athletes were significantly younger than recreational athletes (18.4 ± 2.3 years vs 29.7 ± 6.8 years; P < .001). After 2 years, all PROs had improved significantly, with no differences between the 2 athletic groups. There was a high overall rate of return for both recreational and high-level amateur athletes (94% vs 88%; P = .60). Increasing preoperative withdrawal time from sport prior to surgery was associated with decreased HOS-SS (r = 0.33; P = .04) and MHHS scores (r = 0.02; P = .02). Overall, athletes who had withdrawn from sport for greater than 8 months before surgery returned to sport significantly more slowly (P = .01). Increasing body mass index (BMI) was associated with lower improvements in HOS (r = 0.26; P = .04) and MHHS scores (r = 0.38; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS: Recreational athletes, despite being significantly older than their high-level counterparts, return to play at a similar high rate and with comparable PROs. Increasing preoperative cessation time from sport significantly prolongs return to sport. Additionally, increasing preoperative cessation from sport and higher preoperative BMI were associated with decreased improvements in PROs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study.