Return to previous activity level for non-athlete patients after periacetabular osteotomy

Abstract

Background:

Reorientation of the acetabulum through a periacetabular osteotomy is 1 of the increasingly popular treatment modalities for hip dysplasia. The purpose of this study is to assess the timing of recovery, return to previous activities, driving and painless full weight-bearing for non-athlete patients undergoing a periacetabular osteotomy for borderline or true hip dysplasia.

Methods:

Patients who underwent a periacetabular osteotomy between 2018 and 2022 were eligible for enrollment. Patients with at least 2 years of follow-up, with complete radiological and clinical data were included. The following parameters were evaluated on pelvic radiographs: lateral centre-edge angle, anterior centre-edge angle, acetabular inclination angle, extrusion index, anterior wall index, and joint space width at the narrowest point.

Results:

A total of 40 patients were included. 4 patients were male (10%), average age was 24 years. Patients regained their preoperative activity levels in an average of 4.5 months (range 2–12 months). The average time for patients to walk without pain while bearing full weight was 3.4 months (range 2–5 months). Mean preoperative lateral centre-edge angle improved from 8.7° to 35.0°, while their mean preoperative anterior centre-edge angle increased from 11.6° to 33.1°. All clinical scores improved significantly when compared to their preoperative values.

Conclusions:

Radiographic parameters and functional outcomes improve with periacetabular osteotomy. Non-athletic, moderately active patients returned to their pre-surgery activity levels on average 4.5 months after surgery and were able to walk without pain after an average of 3.4 months. A progressively narrowing preoperative joint space translates into longer pain-free full weight-bearing times.