Capsular Management Techniques and Hip Arthroscopy

There has been an increased emphasis on capsular management during hip arthroscopy in the literature in recent years. The capsule plays a significant role in the hip joint stability and studies have demonstrated that capsular closure can restore the biomechanics of the hip back to the native state. Capsular management also affects functional outcomes with capsular repair resulting in better clinical outcomes in some studies. Management of the capsule has evolved in recent years with more surgeons performing routine capsular closure. Management techniques and degree of capsular closure, however, can be quite variable between surgeons. This review will discuss hip capsular anatomy, the importance of the capsule in hip biomechanics, management of the capsule during arthroscopy, and functional outcomes as it relates to the various capsular closure techniques versus leaving the capsulotomy unrepaired.