Athletes experience a high rate of return to sport following hip arthroscopy

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the rate at which patients return to sport following arthroscopic hip surgery. Methods: The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed were searched by two reviewers, and titles, abstracts, and full-text articles screened in duplicate. English language studies investigating hip arthroscopy with reported return to sport outcomes were included. A meta-analysis of proportions was used to combine the rate of return to sports using a random effects model. Results: Overall, 38 studies with 1773 patients (72% male), with a mean age of 27.6 years (range 11–65) and mean follow-up of 28.1 months (range 3–144) were included in this review. The pooled rate of return to sport was: 93% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 87–97%] at any level of participation; 82% (95% CI = 74–88%) at preoperative level of sporting activity; 89% (95% CI = 84–93%) for competitive athletes; 95% (95% CI = 89–98%) in pediatric patients; and 94% (95% CI 89.2–98.0%) in professional athletes. There was significant correlation between a shorter duration of preoperative symptoms and a higher rate of return to sports (Pearson correlation coefficient = − 0.711, p = 0.021). Conclusion: Hip arthroscopy yields a high rate of return to sport, in addition to marked improvement in pain and function in the majority of patients. The highest rates of return to sport were noted in pediatric patients, professional athletes, and those with a shorter duration of preoperative symptoms. This study provides clinicians with evidence-based data on athletes’ abilities to return to sport after arthroscopic hip surgery and identifies sub-populations with the highest rates of return to sport. Level of evidence: IV, systematic review of Level II–IV studies.