Decade-Long Study Shows High Return-to-Sport Success After Hip Arthroscopy in Borderline Hip Dysplasia

Researchers looked at athletes with borderline hip dysplasia who had hip arthroscopy and capsular plication. They collected data from 2008 to 2014. Fifty patients with the condition were matched with fifty normal‑coverage patients by age, sex, weight, follow‑up time, joint grading and sport level. The study was a retrospective cohort with level‑3 evidence.

Both groups showed big gains in hip scores after ten years. Modified Harris Hip Score, Non‑Arthritic Hip Score, International Hip Tool, sport subscale, pain VAS and satisfaction all rose. The improvement was similar in each group.

When athletes tried to get back to sport, eighty‑seven percent of the dysplasia group succeeded. Eighty‑five percent of the control group did the same. Among those who returned, seventy percent of the dysplasia patients kept playing, while seventy‑three percent of the control patients did. The success rates were close.

Twenty‑three of the successful dysplasia athletes kept competing for at least ten years. Twenty‑five of the successful control athletes did the same. Overall, sixteen percent of the dysplasia group ever stopped playing sport. The study suggests that hip arthroscopy with capsular plication can give long‑term sport return in these athletes.