Prevalence of low back pain and related disability in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.
Lindsey Brown-Taylor, Haley Bordner, Kathryn Glaws and 3 others
PMID 33583131WHAT IT FOUND
Among 158 patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, 60% had clinically significant low back pain; those with it had worse hip function, and low back disability was strongly linked to worse hip function.
It is an association, not proof that treating the back improves the hip.
Key findings
01In 158 patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, 95 (60%) had clinically significant low back pain (VAS >=30).
02Patients with clinically significant low back pain had worse hip function on the 0-100 iHOT33 scale, with a median difference of -9.6 points (95% CI: -3.8, -15.1).
03Among 120 participants with low back pain who completed the disability survey, 104 (86%) had clinically meaningful low back-related disability (ODI >12), and greater disability was strongly associated with worse hip function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Fifty-six of 214 eligible participants (26%) did not complete registry surveys and were excluded. This may bias the sample toward patients more willing to report pain and function. Participants were a convenience sample from one clinic, and no power analysis was performed. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether low back pain caused worse hip function, whether hip pain and disability influenced back pain reporting, or which pain came first. Low back pain severity was rated on a 0 to 100 scale, and clinically significant pain was defined as 30 or more. Low back-related disability was defined as ODI above 12. Different cut-offs could change the results. The ODI was given only to participants who reported any low back pain (VAS greater than 0). Participants who reported no low back pain did not complete it, so some back-related disability could have been missed. Surveys may not distinguish hip pain from low back pain or identify which joint limits a specific activity.
Declared interests
Research support is listed as NIH, extramural, and non-U.S. government. No author conflict declaration is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating low back pain will improve hip function in FAIS. This was a cross-sectional survey showing associations at one time point; it did not compare treatments or measure changes after care.