Arthroscopy for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement in the athlete.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been recently recognized as a cause of hip pain, labral and chondral pathology, early osteoarthritis, and decreased athletic performance. Historically, treatment for FAI consisted of an open approach with surgical dislocation. It has been suggested that the operative trauma sustained during the open procedure may make it difficult for high-level athletes to return to play. As a result, an arthroscopic approach to treat FAI has been developed. The purpose of this article is to describe the arthroscopic technique for the treatment of cam and pincer-type hip impingement.