Hip muscle strength in male and female patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome: Comparison to healthy controls and athletes

Objectives: To examine hip muscle strength deficits in patients with femoroacetabular impingent syndrome (FAIS), with special emphasis on potential sex- and comparison-related (between-subject vs within-subject) differences.

Design: Cross-sectional comparative study.

Participants: Forty FAIS patients (20 women), 40 healthy controls (20 women) and 40 athletes (20 women).

Main outcome measures: Hip abduction, adduction and flexion isometric strength was tested using a commercially-available dynamometer. Two between-subject comparisons (FAIS patients vs controls and FAIS patients vs athletes) and one within-subject comparison (inter-limb asymmetry) of strength deficits were conducted, based on the calculation of respective percent differences.

Results: For all hip muscle groups, women were 14-18% weaker than men (p < 0.001), but no sex-related interactions were observed. For all hip muscle groups, FAIS patients were 16-19% weaker than controls (p = 0.001) and 24-30% weaker than athletes (p < 0.001). For FAIS patients, the involved hip abductors were 8.5% weaker than the uninvolved ones (p = 0.015), while no inter-limb asymmetry was observed for the other hip muscles.

Conclusion: Sex had no influence on hip muscle strength deficits in FAIS patients while a major impact of comparison method/group was observed. Hip abductors showed consistent deficits for all comparison methods, suggestive of a possible greater impairment compared to hip flexors and adductors.