Objective There is a high prevalence of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) amongst elite men`s ice hockey players, yet little is known about the hips of players in the National Women`s Hockey League (NWHL). The primary purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of radiographic cam-type FAI in women`s professional ice hockey players. The secondary purpose was to analyze the relationship between the cam deformity and both menarchal age and hip range-of-motion (ROM). Methods Data were collected for NWHL players during pre-participation physicals. Alpha angles were measured on 45° Dunn radiographs, with alpha angles >55° defined as cam-positive. Pearson correlation coefficients (?) were performed to analyze the relationship between alpha angle and both ROM measurements and menarchal age, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results Twenty-six athletes were included. Twenty-four (92%) had alpha angles >55°; 20 players (77%) had bilateral cam deformity. Average menarchal age was 13.8 ± 1.7 years. There was a significant association between age of menarche and alpha angle (? = 0.36, p < 0.02). There was no significant association between alpha angle and hip ROM (p > 0.05). Conclusion Elite women`s ice hockey players have a higher prevalence of cam-type morphology than the general population. The positive association between alpha angle and menarchal age lends additional support to the etiological hypothesis of the cam lesion resulting from activity-related stress at the proximal femoral physis during skeletal development. Professional women`s ice hockey players have a high risk of developing cam-type morphology, although each player`s menarchal age may mediate her individual risk for cam development.
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