Lumbar stiffness and femoroacetabular impingement - A case control study

Introduction: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) may be aggravated by lumbar hyperlordosis and/or stiffness: those conditions may increase the frequency of contact between acetabulum and femur neck. Aim of this study is to evaluate lumbar hyperlordosis and range of motion in patients with arthroscopically treated FAI and to compare those results with healthy subjects. Materials and methods: 17 healthy volunteers (control group= CG) and 21 patients with surgically treated FAI (FAIG) were enrolled. Groups have been tested for heterogeneity of age and sex. Flexibility test (Sit and Reach test) and spine morphological analysis with Spinal Mouse were performed in both groups. Results were statistically analysed with descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. Results: Two groups were comparable in terms of age, sex and BMI (all p values > 0.05). Lumbar ROM was significantly lower in FAIG (20.70 (SD 9.06) vs 27.77 (SD 9.95); p= 0.021), this group showed also significant higher values of lumbar stiffness (63.20 (SD 14.50) vs 72.62 (SD 11.87); p=0.040) and lower results at Sit and Reach tests (26,02 (SD 9,76) vs 33,48 (SD 9,81); p: 0,017). No other significant differences were found between the two groups (all p values >0.05). Conclusion: Patients with FAI do not show higher hyperlordosis angles when compared to healthy subjects but present lower flexibility