Description
This study aims to investigate if there is a relationship between cam Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (cam-FAIS) and chronic Anterior Knee Pain (AKP). Methods: This is a pilot retrospective review of 12 patients who initially presented with AKP but displayed no structural anomalies in the patellofemoral joint and no skeletal malalignment in the lower limbs. All the patients were non-responsive to proper conservative treatment for AKP. Subsequently, these patients developed pain in the ipsilateral hip several months later, and upon evaluation, were diagnosed with cam-FAIS. Arthroscopic femoral osteoplasty and labral repair were performed and clinical follow-up of hip and knee pain and function (Kujala Score and NAHS) was carried out. Results: Following the cam-FAIS surgery, all patients exhibited significant improvement in knee and hip pain scores during a median follow-up of 69 months (range: 18 to 115). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) showed improvement in all patients after cam-FAIS surgery. Preoperative and postoperative values are summarized in Table 1. The results from the initial 7 patients were previously published in 2015, and the medium-term benefits were sustained into the long-term follow-up. There were no significant differences between the VAS knee pain score at mid-term and long-term (p= 0.157), nor for the VAS hip pain score (p= 0.317), Kujala score (p= 0.102), and NAHS (p=1). Conclusions: This study's principal finding confirms a meaningful association between cam-FAIS and AKP in young patients who exhibit normal knee imaging and lower limbs skeletal alignment. Addressing cam-FAIS in these cases leads to the resolution of both groin and knee pain, resulting in improved functional outcomes for both joints.
