Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 12 Aug 2025

Are prior foot/ankle or knee injuries in youth sports associated with current hip pain in young adulthood?

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DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0226.25
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ABSTRACT

Context:

Hip pain is a concern in young adults, with previous hip injury recognized as a key contributing factor. However, little is known about how prior non-hip lower extremity injuries impact current hip pain.

Objective:

To determine (1) whether past foot/ankle and knee youth sports injuries are associated with current hip pain in young adults, and (2) the role of foot/ankle, knee, and hip pain in contributing to poor patient-reported lower extremity function in young adults.

Design:

Cross-sectional study

Setting:

Electronic survey

Patients or Other Participants:

424 young adults with previous youth sports participation

Main Outcome Measures:

Individuals self-reported prior youth sports foot/ankle, knee, and hip injury histories, current pain in these regions, and current function using the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. Ordinal logistic regression models assessed the association of prior foot/ankle and/or knee injuries with current hip pain. Secondary analyses evaluated the impact of (1) foot/ankle and hip injury history on current knee pain and (2) knee and hip injury history on current foot/ankle pain. Finally, we explored the relationship between current lower extremity region pain and function.

Results:

A history of both foot/ankle AND knee injuries [odds ratio (OR)=4.91; 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.80-8.60] or foot/ankle injury alone [OR=2.72, 95% CI=1.68-4.41] was associated with increased odds of current hip pain; a knee injury history alone was not [OR=1.17, 95% CI=0.64, 2.15]. Hip and foot/ankle injury histories were both associated with increased current knee pain. Greater current foot/ankle pain, but not knee or hip pain, was linked to worse current lower extremity function.

Conclusions:

Prior lower extremity injuries, particularly involving the foot/ankle, increased the likelihood of current hip pain. Multi-region lower extremity injury histories appear to have a compounding effect on hip pain intensity.

Contributor Notes

Corresponding author: Christa Nelson, PT, DPT, PhD Address (can be used for all authors from Northwestern University): 645 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1100 Chicago, IL 60611 E-mail: christa.nelson@northwestern.edu

Full names and credentials:

Christa M. Nelson, PT, DPT, PhD: christa.nelson@northwestern.edu

Craig P. Hensley, PT, DPT, MSCI: craig.hensley1@northwestern.edu

Alison H. Chang, PT, DPT, PhD: hsini@northwestern.edu

Amanda Acosta, BS, SPT: amanda.acosta@northwestern.edu

Urte Barauskas, BS, SPT: urte.barauskas@northwestern.edu

Caroline Case, BS, SPT: caroline.case@northwestern.edu

Grace Chaw, BS, SPT: grace.chaw@northwestern.edu

Chris Grecco, BS, SPT: chris.grecco@northwestern.edu

John Goetschius, PhD, ATC: goetscjw@jmu.edu Address for Dr. Goetschius: MSC 4315 235 Martin Luther King Jr. Way Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

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