physioscience 2025; 21(S 03): S42-S43
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1812454
Abstracts
Poster/Posters

Hip morphology, clinical tests and pain in patients with FAI syndrome: what matters?

Authors

  • R Caliesch

    1   Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research (RERE) Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
    2   School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Sion, Switzerland

  • D Beckwée

    3   Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation Research (RERE) Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

  • J Taeymans

    4   Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Health Professions, University of Applied Sciences Bern, Bern, Switzerland
    5   Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

  • J M Schwab

    6   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, HFR Fribourg, Cantonal Hospital, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

  • M Tannast

    7   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

  • J Hirt

    6   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, HFR Fribourg, Cantonal Hospital, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

  • J Roshardt

    8   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

  • R Hilfiker

    9   Physiotherapie, Tschopp & Hilfiker, Glis, Switzerland;
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Background Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), characterized by cam and pincer morphologies, is a common source of hip pain. Understanding the relationships between hip morphology, clinical test outcomes, and pain severity is critical for improving FAI diagnosis and management. This study investigated correlations between cam signs, alpha angle, pincer/retroversion signs, lateral center-edge (LCE) angle, clinical tests, and pain in patients with FAI syndrome.

Methods We analysed hip-level data from 51 hips (40 adults) with symptomatic cam and/or pincer morphologies, confirmed by both radiographs and MRI. Participants were physically active (sport≥2–3×/week). Cam, global pincer, and global retroversion signs were counted and measured. Nine clinical pain provocation tests were performed, and pain was measured using the i-HOT pain score. Spearman’s rank correlations (ρ) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using pairwise deletion and cluster-robust standard errors to account for within-patient hip clustering. Monotonicity was confirmed. Analyses were conducted in R (version 4.3.2).

Results The number of cam signs, alpha angle, as well as the number of pincer/retroversion signs showed no or small and non-significant correlations (ρ=0, 95% CI -0.28 to 0.27; ρ=0.23, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.48; ρ=-0.15, 95% CI -0.41 to 0.13, respectively), whereas LCE angle had a moderate and statistically significant correlation with clinical tests (ρ=0.3, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.54). Clinical tests themselves were strongly and statistically significantly correlated with pain (ρ=0.57, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.73). The number of cam signs (ρ=0.1, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.37), alpha angle (ρ=-0.13, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.15), the number of pincer/retroversion signs (ρ=0.2, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.46), and LCE angle (ρ=-0.23, 95% CI -0.48 to 0.06) showed no notable and non-significant correlations with pain.

Conclusions Clinical tests were moderately to strongly correlated with pain. Radiological signs showed negligible to small associations with clinical tests and pain. Wide confidence intervals suggest considerable uncertainty, indicating that morphological severity alone may have limited clinical relevance. These findings suggest that, in addition to morphological alterations, joint movement toward impingement may contribute to symptom generation.



Publication History

Article published online:
23 October 2025

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