“…8,13,22 Although a randomized trial is the best way to conduct an isolated comparison of treatment options, it is also something of an artificial construct that differs from routine clinical practice. Because the apparent efficacy of surgery for alleviating symptomatic FAI and labral tears has been demonstrated in many noncomparative studies, 1,3,5,9,11,14 patients and surgeons usually expect the option to proceed to surgery if the nonsurgical treatment does not seem to be working. 2,20 One such trial that compared arthroscopic and nonsurgical treatment of FAI, done in a military setting by Mansell and colleagues, 12,13 appeared in AJSM last year and garnered considerable reader attention.…”