Background: Men show better functional results after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this study was a patient-specific analysis of the hip joint muscles in comparison to the joint geometry.
Methods: In this study 93 computed tomography (CT) scans of the pelvis (45 men, 48 women) were analyzed to determine hip joint geometry and the volume of the gluteus medius (GMV), gluteus maximus (GXV) and tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscles. The abduction muscle volumes were analyzed with respect to patient-specific adduction moments.
Results: The absolute total volume of the hip muscular system (TMV) was larger in men than in women (1913 ccm vs. 1479 ccm; p <0.0001). Men exhibited a more progressive increase of muscle volume as the adduction moment increases.
Conclusions: Men have a greater abduction muscle mass in order to balance adduction moments occurring in the hip joint and therefore have more muscle mass to compensate the inevitable intraoperative muscle damage during THA. This argument supports the extraordinary importance of muscle sparing surgical techniques in women.