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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Hip muscle function in patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement

subject

description

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a pathomechanical process of the hip joint, which could lead to hip pain and functional disability. Aim of this thesis was to investigate hip muscle function in patients with a symptomatic FAI. Hip muscle function was first investigated before patients underwent any surgical treatment for managing FAI. It was shown that they present with reduced hip muscle strength (i.e., muscle weakness), probably due to hip muscle inhibition. Nevertheless, hip muscle weakness was not associated with exaggerated hip muscle fatigue. Hip muscle strength recovery was then evaluated in a series of patients after hip arthroscopy to treat FAI. These patients demonstrated a good recovery for all hip muscle groups, except for hip flexors. The case of a professional ice hockey player who underwent bilateral hip open surgeries for treating bilateral FAI was also documented. This report showed that iliotibial band dehiscence could occur after hip open surgery, thereby preventing hip abductor strength increase during rehabilitation and delaying the return to sport. In addition, the assessment of the rate of force development scaling factor for the hip muscles was evaluated in a group of healthy adults. This parameter seems to be promising for the evaluation of hip muscle inhibition. The testing protocol was feasible and reproducible for hip adductors, external rotators and flexors. Taken as a whole, these findings show that patients with symptomatic FAI demonstrate an impaired hip muscle function, which is however mainly resolved after surgical treatment.