Preoperative factors were predictors of chronic pain after hip arthroscopy for FAI

NEW ORLEANS — Chronic pain or symptoms that persisted 2 years after arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement may be due to advanced patient age, bilateral or increased articular involvement, smoking and other preoperative factors, according to data presented here at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

“So, what we found was independent predictors of postoperative pain included current smoking and a mental health history of anxiety and depression. Protective factors included running and high-level athletic participation,” Austin V. Stone, MD, PhD, said.

Austin V. Stone

Patients with a history of anxiety or depression had almost a threefold chance of developing persistent pain after arthroscopy for FAI, he said. Patients with persistent pain also did worse on patient-reported outcomes than patients whose pain was not persistent after FAI surgery.

The persistent pain group Stone and his colleagues studied consisted of 174 patients. These patients were not statistically different preoperatively from a group of patients without persistent pain after arthroscopy to treat FAI, based on radiographic parameters or preoperative physical examination.

“So, what do we know about this? We know that athletes are motivated to return to sport ... we know that motivation and expectations have effects on pain. These are adversely affected by mental health in the setting of FAI. It is also documented elsewhere in the literature,” Stone said. – by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Waterman BR. Paper #365. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 6-10, 2018; New Orleans.

Disclosure: Stone reports he receives research support from Smith & Nephew.