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Published on: June 10, 2025
Professional football can be considered a healthy sport?
Gustavo Gonçalves Arliani1, Diego Costa Astur2, Ricardo Kim Fukunishi Yamada3
1Departamento de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Centro de Traumatologia do Esporte (CETE), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (DOT-UNIFESP/EPM), Rua Borges Lagoa, 783, 5° andar, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, CEP 04038-032, Brazil. ggarliani@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
This study aimed to compare the results of knee MRIs of former football players with no previous knee surgeries with non-regular practitioners of impact sports, matched by age and sex, and combine these results with other variables such as current quality of life and pain in the knees.
Methods:
The study participants were 16 male former professional football players and 21 male volunteers from different non-sports professional areas. All participants underwent bilateral magnetic resonances. Specific knee evaluations with regard to osteoarthritis and quality of life were performed in both groups by applying the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subjective questionnaires and SF-36, respectively.
Results:
The between-group comparison revealed significant differences on: pain, symptoms, and quality of life related to the knee in KOOS subscales; physical aspects and vitality subscale of SF-36; and former soccer players had worst magnetic resonances scores than controls.
Conclusion:
Results of this study indicate probable specific adverse effects associated with participating in professional football.
Level Of Evidence:
Cross-sectional study, Level III.
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