The Effectiveness of Hydrotherapy on Return to Play in Sports following Hip Arthroscopic Surgery: A Comparative Study

Background The postoperative management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is variable with favourable surgical outcomes. Yet, there is no evidence on the efficacy of hydrotherapy in athletes undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role and the impact of hydrotherapy on return to sports following hip arthroscopy for symptomatic FAI. Methods Two cohorts of mixed level of athletes from various sports: a hydrotherapy group that followed land-based exercises in combination with hydrotherapy exercises and a control group that followed solely the same land-based exercises. Hip-specific outcome scores, pain pre and postoperatively were completed and patient satisfaction was rated. Results A total of 88 hip arthroscopies were included with a minimum of two years follow-up; the hydrotherapy group engaged 36 hips and the control group 52 hips. There was a significant improvement in time to return to previous performance (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.21-3.01, p = 0.005) in the hydrotherapy group compared with the control. The hipspecific scores and patient satisfaction were considerably improved in the hydrotherapy group. Conclusions The analysis of our data indicates that the incorporation of hydrotherapy into postoperative rehabilitation for hip arthroscopy for FAI accelerates the return of athletes to their previous performance since the recovery time decreased significantly.