Predictors of Early Return to Sport After Surgical Repair of Proximal Hamstring Complex Injuries in Professional Athletes: A Prospective Study

Background: Proximal hamstring complex injury (PHCI) is a common injury among professional athletes, particularly those participating in pivot contact sports. Previous studies have suggested that surgery can be effective in restoring function and allowing athletes to return to sport (RTS), but the factors influencing successful RTS have been less clear.

Purpose: To assess RTS capabilities after surgical treatment of PHCI in professional athletes and to identify favorable predictors of RTS.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: This study (2002-2022) was conducted on professional athletes who underwent surgical treatment for PHCI at a sports surgery center. The primary outcome of the study was the RTS capability, evaluated based on the rate of athletes' return to their preinjury level of competition, time delay to RTS, and quality of RTS as measured using their level of performance and progression of scores on activity scales such as the Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), scale. "Maintained performance" was defined as athletes returning to the same preinjury activity level (per the TAS and UCLA scale) and perceiving themselves to have maintained their performance. Secondary outcomes covered the potential RTS predictors and complication rate. The study distinguished 2 types of PHCI: proximal hamstring tendon avulsion injury (proximal rupture with empty footprint, or having a "positive dropped ice cream sign") and complete proximal hamstring free tendon rupture (PHTR; proximal rupture without empty footprint, or having a "negative dropped ice cream sign").

Results: The study examined 64 professional athletes (mean age, 27.3 years; 82.8% male) undergoing surgery for PHCI. The RTS rate was 98.4%, with 78.1% of the athletes returning to their preinjury level of competition at 6.2 months (SD, 2.5 months). Twelve (19%) patients had returned to sport at an inferior level of competition, and 2 (3.1%) were unable to continue in their preinjury sport. Subgroup analysis revealed variation in RTS based on sport type, with the highest rate of return to preinjury performance found in athletes in handball and sports with splits (fencing, squash, and escalade; 100%) and soccer (95.2%). In the univariate analysis, male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 4.05; 95% CI, 1.45-11.3; = .008), higher preinjury TAS score (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.52; = .011), injury involving the semimembranosus (HR, 4.84; 95% CI, 2.31-10.2; < .001) or conjoint tendon (HR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.55-6.25; = .001), and PHTR (HR, 7.77; 95% CI, 3.54-17.0; < .001) were significantly associated with a better postoperative level of competition. Multivariate analysis identified 3 favorable predictors of RTS with HRs of 2.91 (95% CI, 1.01-8.35; = .047) for male sex, 3.86 (95% CI, 1.78-8.37; < .001) for isolated semimembranosus injury, and 5.18 (95% CI, 2.24-12.0; < .001) for PHTR. The complication rate was 4.7%.

Conclusion: Favorable predictors of early RTS were male sex, isolated semimembranosus injury, and PHTR injuries.

Registration: NCT02906865 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).