Summary

- Clinical FAI findings also included no bony deformities such as soft FAI impingement syndrome with occasionally no response to conservative treatment. - Hip arthroscopy is a safe procedure and regards good results in young patients, also in high-demand players in cases of clinical FAI.

Abstract

Intro: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is considered to be an underlying etiology of injuries affecting acetabular labrum and cartilage in the adult hip, although somewhat less attention has previously been spent on its incidence in the pediatric and adolescent populations and the development and outcomes of hip disorders remains unclear nowadays regarding sport practice in this cohort of population. Soft impingement is an entity regarding FAI with no radiological signs of common FAI deformities, eventually observed in younger patients and high-level athletes recently described.

Aim

To investigate the association of intrarticular hip disorders in young high-demand football players regarding the outcomes and evaluating return to play at mid and long-term follow-up.

Material And Methods

This study includes all under-16 years old patients that underwent hip arthroscopy from 2012 to 2016 that were competing at regional and national Catalan football leagues.
All the patients underwent the same diagnosis protocol including clinical history compatible with hip pathology, image examinations, both radiological and magnetic resonance evaluating crossover sign, center-edge and ? -angle. Also growth femoral head plate status was studied to allows hip arthroscopy with minimal risk of physeal lesion. FAI diagnosis was described in all cases with clinical findings corelationed or not with radiological findings.

Results

A total number of 7 under-16 football players within the study criteria were included (1,57% of the total number of patients underwent hip arthroscopy in the same period), with a mean follow-up of 5,5 years after hip arthroscopy. Return to play rate was 100% at final follow-up, the range of return to football time was from4 to 8 months with good or excellent results asking the patients.

Conclusion

- Clinical FAI findings also included no bony deformities such as soft FAI impingement syndrome with occasionally no response to conservative treatment.
- Hip arthroscopy is a safe procedure and regards good results in young patients, also in high-demand players in cases of clinical FAI.