Table 2 Quotes illustrating main qualitative themes organised by allocation

Allocated to PHT

Hip much improved with PHT

Hip remained the same after PHT

HA after having PHT

Experiences of pain

Descriptions of hip pain after allocated treatment

I am still massively better than what I was before I had the physiotherapy (P15)

I do not think [hip pain]‘s worse but I think it’s not any better. I do not think it’s improved (P36)

The three exercises I was left to do started to give me more pain and it shifted to the lumbar region as well (P10)

Physical function

How treatment has impacted their hip related activities

If I just keep doing the stuff [exercises] that I was given does help, but I’m making sure that I’m stretching a lot as well (P32)

They are telling me to do exercises every single day and with my job and lifestyle, sometimes you cannot do these exercises (P16)

I mean I can go for long walks and no trouble whatsoever and then just sometimes I might get it occasionally, or depending sometimes more often than not, some pain, you know, but it’s not usually to the degree where I have to resort to painkillers. (P28)

Psychosocial consequences

Statements on how treatment affected mood, self and social roles

Being out of pain made a massive difference to my mental wellbeing (P32)

I have not had to have any time off work, and certainly sort of with a fairly physical job would be a big disadvantage (P37)

I literally loved going to the gym and I find it really hard to do things now. I find it hard to get motivated as well. (P26)

I’m currently on an apprenticeship. I struggle to do parts in that so [employers] help me with certain aspects. (P34)

It would have been easier to stick with [PHT] but I was just getting to the point where I was fed up with it and I wanted something done basically (P23)

It was just stopping me from fulfilling my full potential for activities like running, and it would always be in my mind (P13)

Health beliefs

Thoughts on causes of FAI and how treatments work

I have experienced less pain and I think that is partly due to effectively rotating my pelvis forward. So, what is the real cause of my pain? Not necessarily the shape of my hip but rather the fact that I have a torn labrum (P9)

[Clinicians] were telling me that the shape of my bones, as an example, my ball and socket joint, are the wrong shape. So to grasp the concept that doing exercises is going to change the mechanics of that, you have to be quite sceptical (P11)

I think one of the problems with physio from my own point of view is unless you buy into doing physio yourself, you will not get better. Nobody can make you do physio apart from yourself. (P18)

Treatment experiences

What receiving treatment was like

The physiotherapist introduced me to some sort of basic exercises and movements through the first couple of sessions and then we progressed with those and built on those (…) I found that all quite straightforward really. (P37)

My appointments were not particularly long, they were quite short, normally about 20 min probably tops. I probably do not know if I got that much out of it really if I’m being brutally honest. (P24)

Like the physio was a bit rushed, it seemed; like you go in and then you have got 15 min, boom, boom, boom, and then they show you some exercises and then you are basically left on your own again (…)

The initial recovery [from surgery] was quite quick and obviously the scars are quite small so it does not affect you like if you are a bit conscious of your body (P13)

Further treatment plans

Plans for further interventions for FAI

I do not feel I would require additional treatment in the short to medium term (P15)

I think that possibly surgery is the only option that is open to me (P36)

What I understand there is always a chance that I could develop arthritis in my hip anyway and if that’s the case I may need further treatment, but at this point in time I’m not concerned about that (P23)

Allocated to HA

Hip much improved after HA

Experiences of pain

Descriptions of hip pain after allocated treatment

I do not think I’m to 100% yet, but I’m a lot better than I was. I was quite glad to be honest. (P1)

Physical function

How treatment has impacted their hip related activities

[surgery] has made a tremendous change to my life, being able to just do the day to day thing, things that a lot of people take for granted (P14)

Psychosocial consequences

Statements on how treatment affected mood, self and social roles

I’m a lot happier in myself because I can do more things. I can walk more, I can do everyday chores better than what I did before. (P21)

I’d literally started volunteering at a rugby club just helping out, and I was doing 12,000 steps a day, just walking. Which I’d never been able to do that amount before. So, yes, the difference was amazing (P22)

Health beliefs

Thoughts on causes of FAI and how treatments work

I do not feel that the physio would have helped. I’ve done lots of other physio and so on for various other injuries and I just felt that in my particular case, I knew my own body quite well, so it was a case of I do not know what physio could have done to help me with the pain I was getting in the coccyx. (P8)

Treatment experiences

What receiving treatment was like

The surgery was really good. I was five weeks on crutches and it was a good recovery. [The hip] just gets really tight still, that’s the only thing I’ve got now. It’s sometimes a little bit painful if I do too much but it’s a lot better than before surgery. (P25)

Further treatment plans

Plans for further interventions for FAI

I do have a slight impingement in my right hip as well, but it wasn’t as bad as my left. I think it was just going to be managed by physiotherapy, if it was bothering me, but it is not to the extent that I am kind of thinking [of surgery] yet. (P14)