Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies report professional athletes return to play following arthroscopic microfracture of the hip for chondral defects. Our hypothesis is that professional hockey players undergoing arthroscopic microfracture for chondral defects of the hip achieve the same performance they had pre-injury and compared to matched controls.
Methods
Seventeen professional hockey players underwent arthroscopic microfracture for an Outerbridge grade IV chondral lesion. Concomitant procedures for labral pathology or FAI were included. Performance data for the full season preceding and following index procedure were analysed, in addition to two matched control players per subject. Data were collected at two points, 2 years apart.
Results
Eighty-two per cent (14/17) of players who underwent arthroscopic microfracture returned to play. The year prior to injury for the 14 players who returned was compared to the average of their individual controls. There was no statistical difference between the groups for age, number of seasons in the league, games played, time on ice, points, save percentage, and shots against goal. Post-operatively, there was no statistical difference between the treatment and control groups regarding performance measures. There was a trend towards a decrease in games played and points post-operatively compared with controls. The treatment group decreased 11 games played, while the controls decreased five games. The treatment group also decreased 14 points, while the controls decreased three points for the season.
Conclusions
Professional hockey players with a discrete, full-thickness chondral defect of the hip are able to return to elite performance level following an arthroscopic microfracture procedure when compared to pre-injury outcomes and controls.
Level of evidence
III.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alradwan H, Philippon MJ, Farrokhyar F, Chu R, Whelan D, Bhandari M, Ayeni OR (2012) Return to preinjury activity levels after surgical management of femoroacetabular impingement in athletes. Arthroscopy 28:1567–1576
Byrd JWT (2001) Lateral impact injury: a source of occult hip pathology. Clin Sports Med 20:801–815
Byrd JWT, Jones KS (2001) Hip arthroscopy in athletes. Clin Sports Med 20:749–762
Cerynik DL, Lewullis GE, Joves BC, Palmer MP, Tom JA (2009) Outcomes of microfracture in professional basketball players. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 17:1135–1139
Crawford K, Philippon MJ, Sekiya JK, Rodkey WG, Steadman JR (2006) Microfracture of the hip in athletes. Clin Sports Med 25:327–335
Flanigan DC, Harris JD, Trinh TQ, Siston RA, Brophy RH (2010) Prevalence of chondral defects in athletes’ knees: a systematic review. Med Sci Sports Exerc 42:1795–1801
Mankin HJ (1982) The response of articular cartilage to mechanical injury. J Bone Joint Surg Am 64:460–466
McDonald JE, Herzog MM, Philippon (2013) Return to play following arthroscopic microfracture of the hip in combination with treatment of labral pathology in elite athletes. Arthroscopy 29:330–335
Namdari S, Baldwin K, Anakwenze O, Park M-J, Huffman GR, Sennett BJ (2009) Results and performance after microfracture in National Basketball Association athletes. Am J Sports Med 37:943–948
Philippon MJ, Briggs KK, Yen YM, Kuppersmith DA (2009) Outcomes following hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement with associated chondrolabral dysfunction: minimum two-year follow-up. J Bone Joint Surg Br 91:16–23
Philippon MJ, Christensen JC, Wahoff MS (2009) Rehabilitation after arthroscopic repair of intra-articular disorders of the hip in a professional football athlete. J Sport Rehabil 18:118–134
Philippon MJ, Schenker ML, Briggs KK, Maxwell RB (2008) Can microfracture produce repair tissue in acetabular chondral defects? Arthroscopy 24:46–50
Philippon MJ, Schenker M, Briggs KK, Kuppersmith D (2007) Femoroacetabular impingement in 45 professional athletes: associated pathologies and return to sport following arthroscopic decompression. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 15:908–914
Philippon MJ, Weiss DR, Kuppersmith DA, Briggs KK, Hay CJ (2010) Arthroscopic labral repair and treatment of femoroacetabular impingement in professional hockey players. Am J Sports Med 38:99–104
Pierce CM, Laprade RF, Wahoff M, O’Brien L, Philippon MJ (2013) Ice hockey goaltender rehabilitation, including on-ice progression, after arthroscopic hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 43:129–141
Singh PJ, O’Donnell JM (2009) The outcome of hip arthroscopy in Australian football league players: a review of 27 hips. Arthroscopy 26:743–749
Steadman JR, Miller BS, Karas SG, Schlegel TF, Briggs KK, Hawkins RJ (2003) The microfracture technique in the treatment of full-thickness chondral lesions of the knee in National Football League players. J Knee Surg 16:83–86
Acknowledgments
Authors received research support from Smith and Nephew Endoscopy, Ossur, Arthrex, OrthoRehab, and Siemens.
Conflict of interest
Royalties (M.J.P.): Smith and Nephew Endoscopy, Arthrosurface, Bledsoe, DonJoy, SLACK Inc., and Elsevier; stockholder (M.J.P.): Arthrosurface, HIPCO, and MIS; consultant (M.J.P.): Smith and Nephew Endoscopy MIS; and ownership (M.J.P.): HIPCO.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McDonald, J.E., Herzog, M.M. & Philippon, M.J. Performance outcomes in professional hockey players following arthroscopic treatment of FAI and microfracture of the hip. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 22, 915–919 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2691-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2691-9