Bony Morphology of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Young Female Dancers and Single-Sport Athletes

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a painful and limiting condition of the hip that is often seen in young athletes. Previous studies have reported a higher prevalence of this disorder in male athletes, but data on the structural morphology of adolescent and young adult female athletes, specifically those involved in dance, are lacking.

Purpose: (1) To investigate the radiographic morphology of FAI deformities in adolescent and young adult female single-sport dance and nondance athletes and (2) to examine the differences in the radiographic findings between these 2 groups.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 56 female single-sport athletes 10 to 21 years of age with a diagnosis of FAI within a single-sports medicine division of a pediatric academic medical center was performed. Acetabular index (AI), lateral center-edge angle (LCEA), crossover sign, and ischial spine sign were measured bilaterally on anteroposterior radiographs; alpha angle (AA) was measured on lateral films, and anterior center-edge angle (ACEA) was measured on false-profile films. Independent tests and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare mean angle measurements between dance and nondance athletes. Dichotomized categorical variables and crossover and ischial spine signs were analyzed between dance and nondance athletes by applying a chi-square test. Statistical significance was set as < .05 a priori.

Results: Significant differences in angle measurements were noted. AA was significantly lower in the dancers compared with the nondance athlete group (49.5° ± 6.0° vs 53.9° ± 7.3°, = .001). The LCEA and ACEA of dance athletes were significantly greater compared with nondance athletes (33.8° ± 6.7° vs 30.9° ± 5.8° [ = .016] and 36.0° ± 8.1° vs 32.3° ± 7.0° [ = .035], respectively). No significant difference in AI was seen between the 2 cohorts (5.0° ± 4.0° for dancers vs 5.9° ± 3.4° for nondancers, = .195).

Conclusion: Significant differences existed in the radiographic bony morphology of young female single-sport dance athletes compared with nondance athletes with FAI. In dance athletes, symptoms were seen in the setting of normal bony morphology.