Individuals with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome exhibit pain-specific hip muscle function during step ascent

An understanding of deep hip muscle function in femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) is needed to inform targeted treatment programs. This exploratory study compared activation patterns of the deep and superficial hip muscles during a step ascent task in individuals with FAIS (subgrouped by pain/no pain reported during the task) and a control group. Individuals with FAIS exhibited altered activation patterns, which were unique in the presence of pain, compared to controls. Longitudinal investigations are required to establish whether these strategies warrant retraining.