Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34148120›Full record

SynthesisInternational orthopaedics2021

Outcomes and rate of return to play in elite athletes following arthroscopic surgery of the hip.

R Elwood, O El-Hakeem, Y Singh, H Shoman, O Weiss, V Khanduja

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International orthopaedics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The Management of Acetabular Labral Tears: A Contemporary Review.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

R ElwoodSchool of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
O El-HakeemSchool of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Y SinghSchool of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
H ShomanYoung Adult Hip Service, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke's - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, CB2 0QQ, Cambridge, UK.
O WeissYoung Adult Hip Service, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke's - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, CB2 0QQ, Cambridge, UK.
V KhandujaYoung Adult Hip Service, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Addenbrooke's - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Box 37, Hills Road, CB2 0QQ, Cambridge, UK. vk279@cam.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-9454-3978
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe tremendous physical demands of elite performance increase the risk of elite athletes sustaining various orthopaedic injuries. Hip pain is common in high-level athletes representing up to 6% of all athletic injuries. Expedient diagnosis and effective treatment are paramount for their future sporting careers and to prevent subsequent joint degeneration. PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the outcome and the rate of return to play (RTP) following arthroscopic procedures in the hip (osteoplasty, chondroplasty, labral repair and/or debridement, capsulotomy, capsulorrhaphy or any soft tissue procedure) in elite athletes. Elite athletes were defined as those who represented their country in international contests or were competing professionally for the purpose of this study.

methodsA computer-based systematic search, following the PRISMA Guidelines, was performed on CENTRAL, PUBMED, EMBASE, SCOPUS, EBSCO, Google Scholar and Web of Science from inception until January 1, 2020, identifying studies that looked at return to sports post-hip arthroscopy in elite athletes. Weighted means were calculated for the RTP rate and duration and for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

resultsAfter eligibility screening, 22 articles were included with a total of 999 male and seven female patients, 1146 hips and a mean age of 28.4 ± 3.2 years. The mean follow-up period was 35.8 ± 13.4 months and 15.9 ± 9.6% of athletes had undergone bilateral procedures. Overall, 93.9% (95% CI: 90.5, 96.6, P < 0.0001) of patients demonstrated RTP after 6.8 ± 2.1 months post-surgery and all PROMs improved post-operatively. During follow-up, 9.6% (95% CI: 5.2, 15.2, P = 0.025) patients needed further intervention.

conclusionA high percentage of elite athletes return to the same level of competition after hip arthroscopy, with a low rate of further interventions. Hip arthroscopy appears to be an efficacious treatment for hip and/or groin pain, caused by pathologies such as FAI or labral tears, in elite athletes in the shorter term. Long term outcomes need further evaluation.

Indexed as

ArthroscopyFemoracetabular ImpingementAdultAthletesFemaleHip JointHumansMaleReturn to SportTreatment OutcomeAthletesEliteHip arthroscopyOutcomesProfessional sportsReturn to play

Identifiers

PMID34148120
PMCPMC8514359
OpenAlexW3173585806

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.