Horseback riding is common among female athletes who had arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome

The purpose was to investigate pre‐operative symptoms and types of sport in competitive athletes undergoing arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), and to compare between genders. Competitive athletes planned for arthroscopic treatment for FAIS were included prospectively in a hip arthroscopy registry. A total of 1548 athletes were identified and 919 were included. Sporting activity and patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs), including HSAS, iHOT‐12, and HAGOS, were recorded, pre‐operatively. The study comprised 738 male and 181 female athletes (median age 25; interquartile range 20‐32 years) who had undergone arthroscopic treatment for FAIS. The most common sports type performed by males were football (48%) and ice hockey (19%) and in females, football (25%) and horseback riding (22%). Females reported a significantly longer duration of symptoms (median 36 vs 24 months) and lower pre‐operative scores for the iHOT‐12 and all the HAGOS subscales, except for physical activity. In conclusion, horseback riding and football are almost equally common in female athletes, while football is by far the most common in male athletes, who underwent arthroscopic treatment for FAIS. Females had a longer duration of symptoms and a higher degree of self‐reported symptoms and dysfunction prior to the hip arthroscopy.