This study defined normal motion of the syndesmosis and the biomechanical consequences of injury. The degree of instability was increased with each additional injured structure; however, isolated injuries to the AITFL alone may lead to significant external rotary instability.

Although complete restoration of joint stability may not be fully achieved at time zero, capsular repair and reconstruction may lead to improved patient outcomes by bringing hip rotational movements nearer to normal values in the immediate postoperative period, especially in cases in which extensive capsulotomy is performed.

Constructs were comparable across most conditions; however, when repairing injuries with a suture-button construct, a single suture-button construct may not provide sufficient resistance to sagittal translation of the fibula.

Background:Hip conditions, such as femoroacetabular impingement and labral injury, can cause pain and limit the ability to play sports at a professional level.Purpose:To evaluate performance metrics of professional golfers prior to arthroscopic hip surgery and after surgery.Study Design:Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:This study included professional golfers who underwent arthroscopic hip surgery. Primary outcome variables were greens in regulation and driving distance. Metrics were recorded for 2 years prior to arthroscopic hip surgery and 1, 2, and 5 years after arthroscopy.Results:A consecutive cohort of 20 male professional golfers (27 hips) from 2000 to 2011 underwent arthroscopic hip surgery by a single surgeon. All players were on the PGA Tour with a mean age of 38 years (range, 26-54 years). Eleven hips had labral repair and 16 had labral debridements. Four hips required microfracture of a chondral lesion. All players returned to play at a mean of 4.7 months (range, 1 month to 2 years). The mean number of years played after surgery was 5.72. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative greens in regulation (P = .227). The mean distance per golf drive was significantly longer at 1 and 2 years postoperative compared with prior to surgery (P < .01), and driving distance at 5 years was also longer than preoperative (P = .008).Conclusion:Arthroscopic management of chondrolabral dysfunction due to femoroacetabular impingement in the professional golfer allowed the golfer to return to the same skill level prior to surgery. Mean driving distance was found to increase after arthroscopy, demonstrating not only a return but also an improvement in driving performance from prior level of play.

An understanding of how acetabular structures present on radiographs could lead to more accurate portal and hardware placement intraoperatively during arthroscopic surgery as well as better preoperative and postoperative assessments.