An impairment-based physical therapy program for runners with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).

Abstract

Purpose. Running is a common sport and recreational activity in the United States. Due to its dysfunctional implication in runners, femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is increasingly recognized as a problematic source of anterior hip pain. The purpose of this case series was to describe an impairment-based physical therapy intervention in non-professional runners with FAI. Materials and methods. Two males, non-professional runners with a mean age of 28.5± 2.1 years, both with a diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), were treated with manual therapy, dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS), and functional training. At initial evaluation, subjects were examined and completed self-reported outcome measures including the visual analog scale (VAS), and the patient-specific functional scale (PSFS). At discharge, they completed the same outcome measures along with the global rating of change (GROC) questionnaire. Results. Both subjects showed clinically meaningful improvement in pain and function above the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Upon discharge, subject 1 had a 86% reduction in VAS score, a 75% improvement in PSFS score, and a GROC score of 6; subject 2 had a 88% reduction in VAS, a 64% improvement in PSFS, and a GROC score of 5. Conclusion. The overall improvement observed in this study was clinically meaningful to subjects who participated, however, because a cause and effect cannot be inferred from case series studies, follow-up randomized clinical/controlled trials are recommended to further investigate the studied intervention on runners with FAI.