Does Duration of Symptoms Affect Clinical Outcome After Hip Arthroscopy for Labral Tears? Analysis of Prospectively Collected Outcomes With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Does Duration of Symptoms Affect Clinical Outcome After Hip Arthroscopy for Labral Tears? Analysis of Prospectively Collected Outcomes With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Authors

Dierckman BD, Ni J, Hohn EA, Domb BG
Journal: J Hip Preserv Surg. 2017 Jun;4(4):308–317
DOI: 10.1093/jhps/hnx023

Background

The effect of symptom duration on hip arthroscopy outcomes for labral tears remains unclear.

Methods: In this study of 680 patients with labral tears and minimum 2-year follow-up, the relationship between symptom duration and PROs was analyzed, excluding dysplasia, workers’ comp, and prior surgeries.

Key Findings

Longer symptom duration was significantly associated with worse pain, satisfaction, and functional outcomes. Other negative predictors included higher age, BMI, and history of trauma.

Conclusions

Delay in surgical treatment of labral tears may result in diminished clinical benefit from arthroscopy.

What Does This Mean for Patients

While conservative care should be tried first, waiting too long for surgery after a labral tear could reduce the chances of a full recovery.