Knee joint subchondral bone structure alterations in active athletes: a cross-sectional case-control study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Fractal signature analysis (FSA) quantifies trabecular bone structure from radiographs.
• FSA can predict osteoarthritis (OA) progression.
• Limited data exists on FSA in early disease or in athletes with increased joint loading.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare horizontal and vertical bone texture dimensions using FSA.
• To investigate differences based on athlete status, gender, prior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, and age.

Main Methods:

• Knee radiographs from 685 individuals (135 athletes, 550 non-athletes, aged 18-36) were analyzed.
• Regions of interest were defined on the tibial plateaus.
• FSA was applied to horizontal and vertical dimensions, with curve fitting accounting for risk factors.

Main Results:

• Horizontal dimensions showed significant differences by gender, previous ACL surgery, and age.
• Vertical dimensions differed significantly between athletes and non-athletes, by gender, and in a specific age group (28-32 years).

Conclusions:

• Trabecular bone structure, as assessed by FSA, exhibits distinct patterns in athletes compared to non-athletes.
• Factors such as previous ACL surgery, gender, and higher age also influence these bone structure variations.