FAI is a very common cause of hip pain in athletes playing sports such as soccer, football (AFL) and ballet.
These sports often require repetitive movements that can exacerbate hip impingement symptoms over time.
It occurs during adolescence where repetitive movements in the end ranges of the hip cause increased bone growth around the ball or socket of the hip. It is important to note however, that 40% of adults have signs of FAI on CT scans but do not have pain (Kim et al., 2015). This indicates that signs of FAI on scans do not need to change in order to get out of pain – and therefore the presence of bony “deformities” on a scan is merely one piece of the puzzle.
Athletes will often present with a “C-sign” pattern of pain – where when describing their pain, they place their hand on their hip with the index finger towards the front of the hip and their thumb towards their glutes. It can also present as groin pain and associated tightness. Additionally, they may have issues during deep squatting or rotating their hips.
Over time, FAI when not treated well does have some correlation with early onset hip osteoarthritis (Wyles et al., 2017). This highlights how important physiotherapy can be to manage this condition.
At Goulburn Valley Physiotherapy Centre, our approach to treating FAI is comprehensive and evidence-based. We begin with a thorough assessment to determine the specific biomechanical factors contributing to the impingement – such as objective muscle strength and pelvic/hip control. Treatment strategies typically include:
- A strength and conditioning program
- Education on short and long term management
- Manual therapy as appropriate
If you are suffering from hip impingement issues get in contact with us today!
Kim, J., Choi, J.-A., Lee, E., & Lee, K. R. (2015). Prevalence of Imaging Features on CT Thought to Be Associated With Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Retrospective Analysis of 473 Asymptomatic Adult Hip Joints. American Journal of Roentgenology, 205(1), W100–W105. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.14.13130
Wyles, C. C., Heidenreich, M. J., Jeng, J., Larson, D. R., Trousdale, R. T., & Sierra, R. J. (2016). The John Charnley Award: Redefining the Natural History of Osteoarthritis in Patients With Hip Dysplasia and Impingement. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 475(2), 336–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-016-4815-2