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A Physical Therapy Program Versus Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement: Randomized Clinical Trial

A Supervised Physical Therapy Program vs. Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01993615
Enrollment
80
Registered
2013-11-25
Start date
2013-03-31
Completion date
2016-10-31
Last updated
2020-08-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Femoroacetabular Impingement

Keywords

FAI, femoroacetabular impingement, hip pain, hip arthroscopy, physical therapy

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes for patients that receive two different treatments used for FAI (Femoroacetabular Impingement). The programs are 1) a 6-week supervised physical therapy program and 2) arthroscopic surgery. Enrollment is limited to patients that have already been determined surgical candidates. The study is following patients for a 2-year period.

Detailed description

This study plans to enroll a total of 60 Tricare beneficiaries primarily from the Madigan Healthcare System with a diagnosis of FAI that are surgical candidates and have already failed at least six weeks of conservative treatment. This is a randomized controlled study comparing outcomes for the standard treatment for FAI and/or acetabular labral pathology (arthroscopy with or without labral repair) versus physical therapy. For subjects in the arthroscopy group, the surgery will be performed by the Orthopedic Surgical Service at Madigan Army Medical Center. Subjects randomized to the physical therapy group will follow a treatment plan implemented by a physical therapist within the Madigan Army Healthcare System. After consent, subjects will be randomized into one of two arms (Group I = hip arthroscopy, Group II = physical therapy). Group I will undergo hip arthroscopy with or without labral repair. Group II will follow a FAI-based physical therapy program x 12 sessions (6 weeks). The arthroscopy group will complete outcome measures at time of consent and following surgery at 6 months, 1 year and 2 year time periods. Subjects in this group will follow a standardized post-operative rehabilitation protocol. The physical therapy group will complete outcomes measures at time of consent and at 6 month, 1 year and 2 year time periods following the initial physical therapy evaluation. Subjects in this group will complete 6 weeks of an impairment-based physical therapy program. In addition to the outcome measures taken, healthcare utilization and associated costs for hip-related care during this 2-year period will also calculated for comparison between the 2 groups.

Interventions

PROCEDUREArthroscopic Surgery

The hip arthroscopy will consist of acetabular rim trimming, labral repair or debridement and femoroplasty, all as indicated based on the surgeon's clinical judgment with input from pre-operative imaging, exam findings and intra-operative findings.

PROCEDUREPhysical Therapy

Subjects will participate in two 45-minute sessions for six weeks (total of 12 sessions). The physical therapy treatment plan will be based on individual impairments identified during the initial evaluation, and include manual therapy to the hip, lumbar spine, and pelvis, as well as therapeutic exercise all tailored to individual patient impairments.

Sponsors

Madigan Army Medical Center
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Tricare beneficiaries between the ages of 18 and 65 * Diagnosis of FAI and/or labral pathology confirmed by a combination of the following: * Pain at the anterior hip or groin * Pain with hip flexion * Positive FADIR test * Patient report relief of pain after intra-articular injection * Surgical candidate for hip arthroscopy defined by (must have both): * No less than 2 mm of joint space based on imaging (CT scan, radiographs and MR arthrogram) * Positive crossover sign and/or alpha angle \>50 deg based on imaging (CT scan, radiographs and MR arthrogram) * Failed 6 weeks of conservative management

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnancy * Has other concurrent systemic disease that may affect the condition (cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or other systemic arthralgia/arthritis) * Has had surgery on the same hip that will be analyzed in the study * Diagnosis of hip osteoarthritis is more likely * Clearing the lumbar spine reproduces the patient's hip symptoms * Plans to move/relocate out of the local area within 6 months * Pending litigation for their hip condition * Unable to give informed consent to participate in the study * Unable to speak or read or write in English (due to inability to fill out outcome measures)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Hip Outcome Score - ADL Subscale at 24 Months24 monthsThe Hip Outcome Score is designed to assess higher-level activities (i.e. those required in athletics) and has demonstrated validity in a study of patients at a mean of three years following hip arthroscopy. Additionally, a 2011 study states that the HOS has the greatest amount of clinimetric evidence (rigor of rating scales and indexes for the description of clinical phenomena). Only three published patient-reported outcome instruments utilized to assess FAI and labral pathology use clinimetric evidence and the HOS was identified as the most proven instrument. The HOS ADL Subscale consisted of 19 questions, each scored on a 5-point scale from 0 (unable to do) to 4 (no difficulty). The final score is calculated by taking the raw score, dividing it by the number of total questions answered multipled by 4 x 100 for a final score that ranges from 0 to 100%, with lower scores associated with greater limitation in Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
Hip Outcome Score - Sport Subscale at 24 Months24 monthsThe Hip Outcome Score is designed to assess higher level activities (i.e. those required in athletics) and has demonstrated validity in a study of patients at a mean of three years following hip arthroscopy. Additionally, a 2011 study states that the HOS has the greatest amount of clinimetric evidence (rigor of rating scales and indexes for the description of clinical phenomena). Only three published patient-reported outcome instruments utilized to assess FAI and labral pathology use clinimetric evidence and the HOS was identified as the most proven instrument. The HOS Sport Subscale consists of 9 questions, each scored on a 5-point scale from 0 (unable to do) to 4 (no difficulty). The final score is calculated by taking the raw score, dividing it by the number of total questions answered multipled by 4 x 100 for a final score that ranges from 0 to 100%, with lower scores associated with greater limitations in Sports-related activities.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Group Differences in International Hip Outcome Score (IHOT33) to 24 Months24 monthsThe iHOT33 is a quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure that uses a visual analog scale response format for young, active patients with hip pathology. This 33-item questionnaire includes four sections: symptoms and functional limitations, sports and recreational activities, job related concerns and social, emotional and lifestyle concerns. This outcome measure has shown to be reliable; shows face, content and contrast validity and is highly responsive to clinical change. It uses a visual analog scale with the verbal anchors no problems at all on the far right and significantly impaired on the left. The total score is calculated as a simple mean of the responses ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the best possible quality-of-life score.
Global Rating of Change Score of 3+ or Higher (Minimum Clinically Important Change)24 monthsThe GROC will be administered to patients at the 6 months, one year and two year time points. The GROC questionnaire is a common, feasible, and useful method for assessing short term outcomes and overall changes in quality of life and is a valid measurement of change in patient status in a variety of pain populations. The GROC has a 15-point scale with a change of positive three points or higher (3+) demonstrating clinically significant improvement in a patient's perception of quality of life. Scores of -1 to -7 indicate negative perception of improvement (worsening of condition), a 0 indicates no change, and scores of +1 through +7 indicate a positive perceived improvement in the patients condition.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Self-Motivation InventoryBaselineThe Self-Motivation Inventory is an outcome measure that was developed to determine level of motivation. The Self-Motivation Inventory is a 40-item tool that has been found to measure an individual's tendency to persevere independent of situational reinforcement. It has also been used to predict successful weight loss and may correlate with number of sessions attended in weight loss program \[29\]. This tool underwent refinement in 1980 with the original 60-item tool being tested in undergraduate male and females. Items correlating less than 0.30 were deleted. The final 40-item scale yielded an exceptionally high internal reliability (α = 0.91) suggesting that a unitary common concept is evident for the obtained factor structure. The tool is widely used and has been tested in weight loss and therapeutic exercise studies
Changes From Baseline Pain Catastrophizing Scale at 24 Months24 monthsThe PCS is a 13-item patient-report scale developed to measure the extent to which people catastrophize in response to pain. Each item is scored from 0 ('not at all') to 4 ('all the time'). The PCS is reported as a total score, with higher scores indicating greater catastrophizing, and is composed of three sub-scales: Rumination (four items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I keep thinking about how badly I want the pain to stop'), Magnification (three items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I become afraid that the pain will get worse'), and Helplessness (six items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I feel I can't go on'). The PCS has been shown to have high levels of internal consistency and construct validity.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Recruitment occurred from the orthopaedic clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Arthroscopic Surgery
Arthroscopic surgery at the femoroacetabular joint, followed by a standardized post-operative rehabilitation protocol in physical therapy. Arthroscopic Surgery: The hip arthroscopy will consist of acetabular rim trimming, labral repair or debridement and femoroplasty, all as indicated based on the surgeon's clinical judgment with input from pre-operative imaging, exam findings and intra-operative findings.
40
Physical Therapy
An impairment-based supervised in-clinic physical therapy program. Physical Therapy: Subjects will participate in two 45-minute sessions for six weeks (total of 12 sessions). The physical therapy treatment plan will be based on individual impairments identified during the initial evaluation, and include manual therapy to the hip, lumbar spine, and pelvis, as well as therapeutic exercise all tailored to individual patient impairments.
40
Total80

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyDeath10

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPhysical TherapyTotalArthroscopic Surgery
Age, Continuous30.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.4
30.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.4
29.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.4
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
4 Participants6 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
4 Participants9 Participants5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 Participants3 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
3 Participants3 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
28 Participants58 Participants30 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
14 Participants33 Participants19 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
26 Participants47 Participants21 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
1 / 400 / 40
other
Total, other adverse events
2 / 402 / 40
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 400 / 40

Outcome results

Primary

Hip Outcome Score - ADL Subscale at 24 Months

The Hip Outcome Score is designed to assess higher-level activities (i.e. those required in athletics) and has demonstrated validity in a study of patients at a mean of three years following hip arthroscopy. Additionally, a 2011 study states that the HOS has the greatest amount of clinimetric evidence (rigor of rating scales and indexes for the description of clinical phenomena). Only three published patient-reported outcome instruments utilized to assess FAI and labral pathology use clinimetric evidence and the HOS was identified as the most proven instrument. The HOS ADL Subscale consisted of 19 questions, each scored on a 5-point scale from 0 (unable to do) to 4 (no difficulty). The final score is calculated by taking the raw score, dividing it by the number of total questions answered multipled by 4 x 100 for a final score that ranges from 0 to 100%, with lower scores associated with greater limitation in Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

Time frame: 24 months

Population: Intention to treat analysis including only participants that received any treatment (6 participants that were enrolled never returned for treatment)

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)
Arthroscopic SurgeryHip Outcome Score - ADL Subscale at 24 Months69.3 score on a scale
Physical TherapyHip Outcome Score - ADL Subscale at 24 Months73.1 score on a scale
Primary

Hip Outcome Score - Sport Subscale at 24 Months

The Hip Outcome Score is designed to assess higher level activities (i.e. those required in athletics) and has demonstrated validity in a study of patients at a mean of three years following hip arthroscopy. Additionally, a 2011 study states that the HOS has the greatest amount of clinimetric evidence (rigor of rating scales and indexes for the description of clinical phenomena). Only three published patient-reported outcome instruments utilized to assess FAI and labral pathology use clinimetric evidence and the HOS was identified as the most proven instrument. The HOS Sport Subscale consists of 9 questions, each scored on a 5-point scale from 0 (unable to do) to 4 (no difficulty). The final score is calculated by taking the raw score, dividing it by the number of total questions answered multipled by 4 x 100 for a final score that ranges from 0 to 100%, with lower scores associated with greater limitations in Sports-related activities.

Time frame: 24 months

Population: Intention to treat analysis including only participants that received any treatment (6 participants that were enrolled never returned for treatment)

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)
Arthroscopic SurgeryHip Outcome Score - Sport Subscale at 24 Months55.3 score on a scale
Physical TherapyHip Outcome Score - Sport Subscale at 24 Months57.1 score on a scale
Secondary

Global Rating of Change Score of 3+ or Higher (Minimum Clinically Important Change)

The GROC will be administered to patients at the 6 months, one year and two year time points. The GROC questionnaire is a common, feasible, and useful method for assessing short term outcomes and overall changes in quality of life and is a valid measurement of change in patient status in a variety of pain populations. The GROC has a 15-point scale with a change of positive three points or higher (3+) demonstrating clinically significant improvement in a patient's perception of quality of life. Scores of -1 to -7 indicate negative perception of improvement (worsening of condition), a 0 indicates no change, and scores of +1 through +7 indicate a positive perceived improvement in the patients condition.

Time frame: 24 months

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Arthroscopic SurgeryGlobal Rating of Change Score of 3+ or Higher (Minimum Clinically Important Change)16 Participants
Physical TherapyGlobal Rating of Change Score of 3+ or Higher (Minimum Clinically Important Change)15 Participants
Secondary

Group Differences in International Hip Outcome Score (IHOT33) to 24 Months

The iHOT33 is a quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure that uses a visual analog scale response format for young, active patients with hip pathology. This 33-item questionnaire includes four sections: symptoms and functional limitations, sports and recreational activities, job related concerns and social, emotional and lifestyle concerns. This outcome measure has shown to be reliable; shows face, content and contrast validity and is highly responsive to clinical change. It uses a visual analog scale with the verbal anchors no problems at all on the far right and significantly impaired on the left. The total score is calculated as a simple mean of the responses ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the best possible quality-of-life score.

Time frame: 24 months

Population: Intention to treat analysis including only participants that received any treatment (6 participants that were enrolled never returned for treatment)

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)
Arthroscopic SurgeryGroup Differences in International Hip Outcome Score (IHOT33) to 24 Months51.2 score on a scale
Physical TherapyGroup Differences in International Hip Outcome Score (IHOT33) to 24 Months44.9 score on a scale
Other Pre-specified

Changes From Baseline Pain Catastrophizing Scale at 24 Months

The PCS is a 13-item patient-report scale developed to measure the extent to which people catastrophize in response to pain. Each item is scored from 0 ('not at all') to 4 ('all the time'). The PCS is reported as a total score, with higher scores indicating greater catastrophizing, and is composed of three sub-scales: Rumination (four items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I keep thinking about how badly I want the pain to stop'), Magnification (three items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I become afraid that the pain will get worse'), and Helplessness (six items; e.g. 'When I am in pain, I feel I can't go on'). The PCS has been shown to have high levels of internal consistency and construct validity.

Time frame: 24 months

Other Pre-specified

Self-Motivation Inventory

The Self-Motivation Inventory is an outcome measure that was developed to determine level of motivation. The Self-Motivation Inventory is a 40-item tool that has been found to measure an individual's tendency to persevere independent of situational reinforcement. It has also been used to predict successful weight loss and may correlate with number of sessions attended in weight loss program \[29\]. This tool underwent refinement in 1980 with the original 60-item tool being tested in undergraduate male and females. Items correlating less than 0.30 were deleted. The final 40-item scale yielded an exceptionally high internal reliability (α = 0.91) suggesting that a unitary common concept is evident for the obtained factor structure. The tool is widely used and has been tested in weight loss and therapeutic exercise studies

Time frame: Baseline

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 2, 2026