Outcomes of Hip Arthroscopy in a Military Population Are Similar to Those in the Civilian Population: Matched Paired Analysis at 2 Years

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes, including the visual analog pain score, University of California Los Angeles activity, modified Harris hip score, and radiologic outcomes after hip arthroscopy in male patients whose symptoms developed during military services with those in a matched-pair control group of active young, nonmilitary patients at a minimum postoperative follow-up of 2 years. Methods: From September 2009 to December 2014, 28 male patients with mechanical symptoms that developed during military service underwent hip arthroscopic surgery. The control group included 28 professional male athletes who were matched with gender, Tonnis grade 0 or 1, crossover percentage, and labral procedure. At the minimum 2-year follow-up, radiographic and clinical outcomes were assessed using serial radiography. Statistical analysis was performed to confirm the differences between the preoperative and postoperative outcome measures. Results: Most common arthroscopic procedures in the study and control groups were femoroplasty (64.4% vs 53.6%) and labral repair (64.3% vs 53.6%). All improvements in both groups were statistically significant at the last postoperative follow-up (P < .001). In the study group, 89.3% of soldiers were able to return to their preoperative military branch. Although radiologic and clinical outcomes in both groups were not significantly different, hospitalization time in soldiers was significantly longer than that in the control group (79.4 +/- 27.0 vs 4.0 +/- 1.3 days, P < .001). Time of return to their preoperative military branch in the study group was similar to sports activity in the control group (5.9 +/- 4.3 vs 6.3 +/- 3.7 months, P = .258). Conclusions: Male patients with symptoms that developed during military services achieved similar levels of benefit from hip arthroscopy as those in the control group of active young patients. Although hospitalization time in the military population was significantly longer than that in the control group, time to return to activity was similar in both groups.