Association Between Self-Reported Hip Crepitus and Pain, Quality of Life, and Psychological Features in Football Players With Hip/Groin Pain: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study.

CONTEXT Hip crepitus creates negative emotions and beliefs, leading to adaptations in sports and daily life activities. People with hip/groin pain present psychological responses to pain, and hip crepitus severity may amplify those features. We aimed to explore associations between self-reported hip crepitus severity and pain, quality of life, and psychological features at baseline and 2-year follow-up in football players with hip/groin pain.

DESIGN Longitudinal.

METHODS We recruited 184 football players with hip/groin pain (20% females, mean age [SD] = 27.6 [0.4]). Self-reported crepitus severity was assessed using a single item of the International Hip Outcome Tool-33. Pain severity was assessed using a Numeric Pain Rating Scale describing average pain playing football and average pain in the last month. Quality of life was assessed using the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score subscale. Psychological features included standardized measures of kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing. We assessed associations between crepitus severity and these outcomes using linear regression.

RESULTS At baseline, greater (worse) hip crepitus severity was associated with worse average pain in the last month (β = -0.02), quality of life (β = 0.16), and kinesiophobia (β = -0.05). We found sex interactions for pain catastrophizing and average pain playing football, with stronger associations in females (β = -0.19 and β = -0.03) than males (β = -0.09 and β = -0.01). Hip crepitus severity at baseline was not associated with changes in pain, quality of life, or psychological features over 2 years.

CONCLUSION Worse hip crepitus severity was cross-sectionally associated with worse pain, quality of life, and psychosocial features in football players with hip/groin pain, but not with the progression of these outcomes over 2 years. Females had a stronger association between hip crepitus and pain catastrophizing and average pain playing football than males at baseline.