Abstract
In the young and highly active population of military patients, femoroacetabular impingement can be a source of serious disability as well as a threat to their career. This morbidity can be treated with hip arthroscopy with debridement of cam lesion, and excision or repair of a corresponding labral tear. We report on the long term outcomes (>1 year) of 26 military cases who underwent hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement, in a single surgeon's series. Twenty two patients (four bilateral cases) underwent hip arthroscopy as a day case procedure during the period February 2013 to October 2014. Non-Arthritic Hip Scores (NAHS) were obtained from patients pre-operatively, at two months, four months and at least one year post-operatively. There was a significant improvement in NAHS at two months (75.6)(p<0.05), four months (85.1)(p<0.001) and one year (84.8)(p<0.001), compared to pre-operative NAHS (65.8). There was no significant change in NAHS beyond four months. Only three out of the 22 patients were medically discharged secondary to persistent hip symptoms. Hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement is an effective, viable procedure for military patients. Mobility, pain and function is significantly improved after surgery. This improvement is sustained in the long term up to and beyond one year.
