The relationship between kinesiophobia and self-reported outcomes and physical function differs between women and men with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome

Background: There is no evidence whether kinesiophobia affects women and men with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome differently. Objective: To explore the association between kinesiophobia, quality of life (QoL), pain, and physical function in people with FAI syndrome, and to compare the level of kinesiophobia between women and men with FAI syndrome. Methods: One-hundred -fifty participants with FAI syndrome (51% women) completed assessment of the following: kinesiophobia with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia; patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) (pain, physical function, health-and hip-related QoL); physical function (side bridge, hop for distance, and one leg rise); and active hip range of motion (flexion, external rotation, internal rotation). Results: Greater kinesiophobia was correlated with worse hip-related QoL (rho=-0.58; p<0.001), self-reported physical function (rho=-0.42; p<0.001), health-related QoL (rho=-0.46; p<0.001), and pain levels (rho=-0.46; p<0.001). In women, kinesiophobia was also associated with worse physical function (hop for distance r=-0.38; p=0.001 and side bridge rho=-0.24; p=0.036) explaining 36% of the variation of the hip-related QoL, 29% of the health-related QoL, and 27% of the self-reported physical function. In men, kinesiophobia explained 35%, 12%, and 10%, respectively. Conclusion: In people with FAI syndrome, greater kinesiophobia was associated with worse PROMs, but not with hip range of motion. No sex-related differences in mean kinesiophobia scores were found. In women, an association was found between kinesiophobia and worse performance in physical tests. These findings might indicate that kinesiophobia plays a more important role in the clinical presentation of women with FAI syndrome than men.