Abstract
Background
Elite performance has tremendous physical demands and places elite athletes at an increased risk of sustaining a variety of orthopaedic injuries (1–4). Pain around the hip is common in high-level athletes representing up to 6% of all athletic injuries (5–7). Expedient diagnosis and effective treatment are paramount for their future sporting careers and to prevent subsequent joint degeneration. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the outcome and the rate of return to play (RTP) following hip arthroscopy in elite athletes.
Methods
A computer-based systematic search followed the PRISMA Guidelines (8) was performed using the 6 most comprehensive databases (CENTRAL, PUBMED, EMBASE, SCOPUS, EBSCO, Google Scholar and Web of Science) and included all published studies from inception until November 1st 2018. Weighted means were calculated for the rate of RTP and duration and for patient reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Results
After eligibility screening, 17 articles were included with a total of 736 male and seven female patients, 761 hips and a mean age of 27.9±3.6 years. The mean follow-up period was 35.8±13.4 months and 17.1±12.3% of athletes had undergone bilateral hip arthroscopies. Overall, 93.9% (95% CI: 90.5, 96.6, P < 0.0001) of patients demonstrated return to sport after 6.7±2.5 months post-surgery and all PROMs improved post-operatively. During follow-up, 9.6% (95% CI: 5.2, 15.2, P = 0.025) patients needed further intervention.
Conclusion
A high percentage of elite athletes return to the same level of competition after hip arthroscopy, with a low rate of further interventions. Hip arthroscopy appears to be an efficacious treatment for elite athletes suffering for hip and/or groin pain.
