Sports - Lower Extremity Flashcards
What are the arthroscopic hip portals and structures at risk?
[AAOS comprehensive review 2, 2014]
- Anterior
- Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve
- Femoral nerve
- Femoral artery
- Anterolateral
* Superior gluteal nerve - Posterolateral
* Sciatic nerve - Midanterior
* Lateral femoral cutaneous nerves

During hip arthroscopy, what nerve is at risk due to traction and the perineal post?
[AAOS comprehensive review 2, 2014]
Pudendal nerve
- Can result in:
- Hypoaesthesia of the perineum, scrotum and glans penis
- Erectile dysfunction
- Urinary incontinence
What are the indications for hip arthroscopy?
[Sports Health. 2017; 9(5): 402–413.]
- Central compartment
- Labral tears
- Chondral pathology
- Ligamentum teres pathology
- Septic arthritis
- Loose bodies
2. Peripheral compartment - Femoroacetabular impingement
- Subspine impingement
- Synovial disorders
- Capsular disorders
- Psoas tendon disorders
3. Peritrochanteric compartment - Greater trochanteric pain syndrome
- External snapping hip/iliotibial band disorder
- Deep gluteal space
- Ischiofemoral impingement
- Proximal hamstring disorders
- Sciatic nerve disorders
What are the contraindications to hip arthroscopy?
[Sports Health. 2017; 9(5): 402–413.]
- Advanced OA
- Ankylosis
- Acetabular and/or femoral dysplasia
- Severe deformity
* Retroversion, SCFE, Perthes - Obesity (relative)
- Neurological injuries/disorders (relative)
* Eg. pudendal neuralgia or peroneal or sciatic nerve palsy
What are the most common complications following hip arthroscopy?
[Bone Joint J. 2017 Dec;99-B(12):1577-1583]
- Nerve injury (0.9%)
- Pudendal > LFCN > sciatic > common peroneal > femoral
- Traction injuries include sciatic, common peroneal and femoral [Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2016 Jul-Sep; 6(3): 402–409.]
- Compression injuries include pudendal nerve
- Portal placement injuries include LFCN
2. Iatrogenic injury (0.7%) - Chondral > labral
3. HO (0.6%)
4. Adhesions (0.2%)
5. Infection (0.2%) - Superficial > deep
6. Other - DVT, perineal skin damage, hematoma, broken instrument, incomplete reshaping, femoral neck fracture, hip instability, iliopsoas tendinitis, AVN, ankle pain, arthrofibrosis, dislocation
What is the most common major complication following hip arthroscopy?
[Bone Joint J. 2017 Dec;99-B(12):1577-1583]
Intra-abdominal fluid extravasation
What is the innervation of the acetabular labrum?
[BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2014, 15:41]
Branch from nerve to quadratus femoris and obturator nerve
- Contains:
- Free nerve endings for nociception
- Nerve end organs (Pacini, Golgi, Ruffini corpuscles) for proprioception
- Higher concentration in:
- Anterosuperior and postersuperior labrum
- Articular side more so than the capsular side
What is the blood supply to the acetabular labrum?
[J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2010 Nov 3;92(15):2570-5]
Periacetabular vascular ring
- Originates from
- Superior and inferior gluteal vessels
- Medial and lateral femoral circumflex arteries
- Intrapelvic vascular system.

What is the function of the hip labrum?
[Journal of Biomechanics 33 (2000) 953-960]
- Deepens the acetabulum and extends the coverage of the femoral head
- Contributes to a negative pressure vacuum effect which adds stability to the hip joint
* Greater force required to distract joint - Provides a seal against fluid flow in and out of the intra-articular space enhancing lubrication mechanisms
* Encapsulates the fluid in the joint - Limits the rate of fluid expression from the cartilage during loading which enhances the cartilages ability to carry load and limit stresses on the cartilage
What is the Seldes classification of hip labral tears?
[Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2001 Jan;(382):232-40]
Type 1 – “Detachment”
- Detachment of the labrum from the articular hyaline cartilage at the transition zone
Type 2 – “Intrasubstance”
- One or more cleavage planes of variable depth within the substance of the labrum

What are the causes of hip labral tears?
[J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2017;25:e53-e62]
- Trauma
- FAI
- Dysplasia
- Hip hypermobility/capsular laxity
- Degeneration
where are labral tears typically located
anterosuperior aspect of the acetabulum
describe the decision making algorithm when considering labrum debridement vs repair vs reconstruction
- stable torn labrum
- acetabuloplasty not needed - selective debridement
- acetabuloplasty needed - repair
- unstable torn labrum
- viable tissue = repair
- nonviable tissue, young patient - reconstruction
- poor vascularity or advanced age - selective debridement
- mostly calcified torn labrum
- advanced age - selective debridement
- young - reconstruction
How can you classify damage to the ligamentum teres, labrum and articular cartilage during hip arthroscopy?
[J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2017;25:e53-e62]
- Domb classification of ligamentum teres tears
- Grade 0 = No tear
- Grade 1 = <50% tear
- Grade 2 = >50% tear
- Grade 3 = 100% tear
- Seldes Classification of labral tears
- Grade 1 - chondrolabral junction tear
- Grade 2 - intrasubstance tear
- ALAD (acetabular labrum articular disruption) Classification
- Grade 1 - softening of the adjacent cartilage
- Grade 2 - early peel of cartilage
- Carpet delamination
- Grade 3 - large flap of cartilage
- Grade 4 - loss of cartilage
4. Outerbridge classification - Grade 0 - normal cartilage
- Grade 1 - cartilage with softening and swelling
- Grade 2 - partial thickness defect with fissures on the surface that do not reach subchondral bone or exceed 1.5cm in diameter
- Grade 3 - fissuring to the level of the subchondral bone in an area with a diameter larger than 1.5cm
- Grade 4 - exposed subchondral bone

Describe the decision making algorithm when considering arthroscopic labral debridement vs. repair vs. reconstruction
[J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2017;25:e53-e62]
- Stable torn labrum
- Acetabuloplasty not needed = selective debridement
- Acetabuloplasty needed = repair
- Unstable torn labrum
- Viable tissue = repair
- Nonviable tissue, young patient = reconstruction
- Poor vascularity or advanced age = selective debridement
- Mostly calcified torn labrum
- Advanced age = selective debridement
- Young = reconstruction

What are the 3 main types of FAI?
- Cam impingement – femoral based abnormality
- Pincer impingement – acetabular based abnormality
- Combined/mixed-type
What are the features of a cam-lesion?
- Aspherical femoral head
- Reduced head-neck offset
- Characteristic ‘bump’ at the head-neck junction
- Pistol grip deformity
Where is the typical cam-lesion located?
[J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2013; 21(suppl 1):S20-S26]
Anterosuperior head-neck junction
What are the features of the pincer-lesion?
[J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013;95:82-92]
- Global overcoverage
* Coxa profunda, coxa protrusio - Focal overcoverage
* Cephalad retroversion - Acetabular retroversion
What femur orientation contributes to FAI – anteversion or retroversion?
Femoral retroversion
What radiographs and radiographic findings are important in assessing FAI?
[DeLee & Drez’s, 2015]
- Radiographic views
- AP pelvis
- cross-table latera
- 45 ° Dunn view
- False profile view
- Signs of pincer-lesion
- Crossover sign
- i. Normally the anterior lip of the acetebulum lies medial to the posterior lip and converge at the superolateral
aspect of the acetabulum. With retroversion the anterior lip proximally lies lateral to the posterior lip and
distally lies medially creating the crossover sign
- i. Normally the anterior lip of the acetebulum lies medial to the posterior lip and converge at the superolateral
- Prominent ischial spine sign
- Normally the ischial spine is hidden behind the acetabulum, if it appears more prominent it indicates acetabular retroversion
- Posterior wall sign
- Posterior rim of the acetabulum lies medial to the center of rotation of the femoral head indicating
retroversion
- Posterior rim of the acetabulum lies medial to the center of rotation of the femoral head indicating
- Lateral center edge angle
- The lateral center edge angle is the angle formed by a vertical line and a line connecting the femoral head center with the lateral edge of the acetabulum.
- LCE >40 suggests pincer-lesion. (<25 indicates dysplasia)
- acetabular index angle
- abnormal = <0 (>10 indicates dysplasia)
- anterior and posterior wall indices
- to calculate the acetabular walls index, the best fit circle to the femoral head contour is drawn.
- radius of the femoral head is determined, distance from the medial edge of circle to the anterior (aw) and posterior (pw) walls along the femoral neck axis line is measure. anterior wall index (awi) and posterior wall index are calculated as aw/R and pw/r respectively
- normal awi - 0.41 (0.3-0.51); normal pwi = 0.91(0.81-1.14)
- abnormal = awi increased (anterior overcoverage, pwi increased (posterior overcoverage); awi + pwi increased (global overcoverage)
- os acetabulum
- anterior femoral neck cortical reaction
- posteroinferior joint space narrowing
- evident on false profile view, occurs as a result of countercoup lesion with pincer type deformities, poor prognostic sign
- Signs of cam-lesion [JAAOS 2013;21(suppl 1):S20-S26]
- Alpha angle
- A circle is placed over the femoral head. The alpha angle is formed by a line along the axis of the femoral
neck and a line from the center of the femoral head to the point where the head diverges outside the circle. - An alpha angle >50 degrees is associated with femoroacetabular impingement.
- A circle is placed over the femoral head. The alpha angle is formed by a line along the axis of the femoral
- Head-neck offset and offset ratio
- Based on a lateral view, a line parallel to the long axis of the femoral neck is drawn along the anterior femoral neck and second line along the anterior aspect of the femoral head. The distance between the two is the head neck offset (<8mm likely represents cam-lesion). The offset ratio is the distance between the two lines divided by the diameter of the femoral head (<0.17 likely represents cam-lesion)
- herniation pits
- Crossover sign

What radiographic view best demonstrates the maximal CAM deformity?
[JAAOS 2013;21(suppl 1):S20-S26]
45° Dunn view
- patient is supine with the pelvis in neutral rotation
- the hip joint is flexed 90° and abducted 20° while the pelvis remains in neutral rotation
What radiographic view best demonstrates the anterior CAM deformity?
[JAAOS 2013;21(suppl 1):S20-S26]
Cross table lateral and frog leg lateral
What special tests should be performed during the physical exam for FAI?
[J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2013; 21(suppl 1):S16-S19]
- Impingement test (FADIR)
* With the hip at 90° of hip flexion the hip is internally rotated and adducted - Posterior impingement test
* Hip extension combined with external rotation - Log roll test
- Resisted hip flexion test
- FABER
































































