NCT06272292

Biomechanical Investigation of Symptomatic FAI and Two Groups of Asymptomatic Controls

An Integrated Biomechanical Investigation of Subjects With Symptomatic FAI and Two Groups of Asymptomatic Controls: a Comparison in Dynamic Tasks

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 99 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 21 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is an orthopaedic condition that is primarily characterized by the presence of anatomic bony abnormalities in the femoral head and/or the acetabulum resulting in an abnormal contact between the two during hip motion, especially in positions of increased hip flexion and rotation, ultimately leading to hip pain. Unfortunately, a FAI diagnosis is frequently only made once symptoms have become severe to an extent that they limit everyday life activities. Moreover, another important aspect that has been consistently overlooked in past FAI movement studies is the influence muscle strength and activation can have on movement pattern and symptom presentation. The diagnosis and management of FAI needs to be addressed through a more wholesome investigation of the biomechanical influence on the manifestation of symptoms. This project aims to further unravel the link between spinopelvic anatomy, its biomechanical contribution to femoro-pelvic motion and the manifestation of femoroacetabular impingement in adult male population. By, for the first time, integrating three-dimensional (3D) instrumented motion analysis with state-of-the-art full-body biplanar X-ray imaging (EOS imaging, Paris France), we will more specifically investigate the presence of an association between spinopelvic kinematics and the link to symptomatic FAI morphology, as well as investigate the presence of differences in these measures between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects with comparable femoral morphology.

Detailed description

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is an orthopaedic condition that is primarily characterized by the presence of anatomic bony abnormalities in the femoral head and/or the acetabulum resulting in an abnormal contact between the two during hip motion, especially in positions of increased hip flexion and rotation, ultimately leading to hip pain. FAI can be radiologically classified into 3 types of morphology: Pincer, CAM and mixed type. While a clear-cut radiological classification makes the identification of FAI seem quite straightforward, it fails to differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Unfortunately, a FAI diagnosis is frequently only made once symptoms have become severe to an extent that they limit everyday life activities. Not only this movement restriction is a significantly debilitating factor in such a young active population, a recent study reported FAI patients to see on average 4.0 health care providers, undergo on average 3.4 diagnostic imaging tests, and receive on average 3.1 treatments prior to final diagnosis. This raises the cost of an individual FAI diagnosis to be €1,563.26 higher than the calculated minimum required cost. Such calculations clearly reveal the long-lasting, multifactorial burden of FAI on society. Moreover, another important aspect that has been consistently overlooked in past FAI movement studies is the influence muscle strength and activation can have on movement pattern and symptom presentation. To our knowledge only three studies have looked into muscle strength by using mainly hand-held dynamometers to record the isometric strength of hip musculature. Their findings suggest hip muscle weakness in symptomatic FAI subjects, but whether this weakness is a pain protective consequence, or an actual cause of FAI is still unknown. In conclusion, the diagnosis and management of FAI needs to be addressed through a more wholesome investigation of the biomechanical influence on the manifestation of symptoms. This project aims to further unravel the link between spinopelvic anatomy, its biomechanical contribution to femoro-pelvic motion and the manifestation of femoroacetabular impingement in adult male population. By, for the first time, integrating three-dimensional (3D) instrumented motion analysis with state-of-the-art full-body biplanar X-ray imaging (EOS imaging, Paris France), we will more specifically investigate the presence of an association between spinopelvic kinematics and the link to symptomatic FAI morphology, as well as investigate the presence of differences in these measures between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects with comparable femoral morphology.

Conditions

• Femoroacetabular Impingement

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	EOS	Every subject in this study will undergo a radiographic analysis of the hip and spine using a low-dose, full-body biplanar X-ray acquisition (in standing, sitting and squatting position, EOS imaging).
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	3D motion lab analysis	A hip-specific 3D motion analysis will be performed. The 3D motion protocol will be divided into 2 main sections. First section: Consist of movements categorized within the activities of daily living (walking at self-selected speed, uphill walking, standardized deep squat and non-standardized deep squat) Second section: Consists of movements that are categorized within athletic training and have been specifically chosen to induce large hip ranges of motion (Sumo squats, dead lifts, forward lunges, running uphill and downhill) Each movements will be repeated 6 times. Three times with the dominant foot/opposite leg on the force plate to collect kinetic data. All data will be captured using two 10-15 camera 3D motion capture systems and one capturing an instrumented treadmill (M-gait)

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-07-28
• Primary completion: 2026-12-31
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2024-02-22
• Last updated: 2026-03-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium