Hip dysplasia in young adults is becoming increasingly recognized. Many do not know they have hip dysplasia, and attribute their hip pain to injury from highly competitive athletics. Once these young athletes are properly diagnosed as having hip dysplasia, the question is; will they be able to compete after a PAO surgery?
This is a tricky question because the statistics can be misleading. Approximately half of the athletes return to a high level of competition, which is better than if they had done nothing and waited till the hip deteriorates past an acceptable PAO level. Many PAO patients feel better after PAO surgery and thus return to participating at a higher level of competition. Some surgeons would wait until the athlete has had difficulty competing, but some recommend surgery sooner to avoid further damage to the hip.
If you are an active, competitive athlete who has mild hip dysplasia, a second opinion from an orthopedic surgeon with experience in hip dysplasia may be worthwhile.
Learn more about PAO Surgery here. For additional information about athletics following PAO Surgery, you may want to read these two scientific publications:
