Contact sport and osteoarthritis

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease and a leading cause of disability.
• OA incidence and prevalence increase with age, affecting over twice as many people as cardiac disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between exercise, sports participation, and the risk of developing osteoarthritis.
• To examine the impact of specific sports and injuries on hip and knee OA development.

Main Methods:

• Review of animal and human studies on exercise and OA risk.
• Analysis of case-control studies on recreational runners and OA.
• Examination of OA rates in contact sports athletes compared to controls.
• Investigation of knee OA risk in soccer players with and without anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Main Results:

• Moderate exercise and non-traumatic sporting activities show a protective effect against hip and knee OA.
• Recreational runners logging 12-14 miles weekly for decades showed no increased OA risk.
• Contact sports are associated with higher hip OA rates, particularly in professional athletes.
• ACL injuries significantly increase the likelihood of developing knee OA, even after early repair.

Conclusions:

• While generally beneficial, certain high-impact or contact sports carry an elevated risk for OA.
• Preventing injuries like ACL ruptures through established programs is crucial for mitigating OA risk in athletes.