Is bony hip morphology associated with range of motion and strength in asymptomatic male soccer players?

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal screening findings and bony hip morphology in asymptomatic male soccer players.
BACKGROUND: Athletes with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome have cam and/or pincer morphology, pain on orthopaedic testing, and often reduced hip range of motion (ROM) and strength. However, cam and pincer morphology is also common in asymptomatic hips. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether the ROM and strength deficits observed in athletes with FAI syndrome result from the variance in their bony hip morphology or from their hip condition.
METHODS: Male professional soccer players in Qatar were screened specifically for hip/groin pain in 2 consecutive seasons. The screening battery included pain provocation, ROM and strength tests, and hip radiographs. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses, using generalized estimating equations, evaluated the relationship between musculoskeletal screening findings and each bony hip morphological variant (cam, large cam, pincer, and acetabular dysplasia).
RESULTS: Asymptomatic hips with cam and large cam morphology were associated with lower internal rotation ROM and bent-knee fall-out, and with a higher likelihood of pain on provocation testing. Pincer morphology was associated with lower abduction ROM and higher abduction strength. Acetabular dysplasia was associated with higher abduction ROM. Each association was weak and demonstrated poor or failed discriminatory power.
CONCLUSION: Bony hip morphology is associated with hip joint ROM and abduction strength, but musculoskeletal screening tests have a poor ability to discriminate between the different morphologies.