Racket or Bat Sports: No Association With Thumb-Base Osteoarthritis

Repetitive joint use is a risk factor for osteoarthritis, which is a leading cause of disability. Sports requiring a racket or bat to perform repetitive high-velocity impacts may increase the risk of thumb-base osteoarthritis. However, this hypothesis remains untested.

To determine if a history of participation in racket or bat sports was associated with the prevalence of thumb-base osteoarthritis.

Descriptive epidemiologic study.

Four US clinical sites associated with the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

We recruited 2309 men and women from the community. Eligible participants had dominant-hand radiographic readings, hand symptom assessments, and historical physical activity survey data.

A history of exposure to racket or bat sports (badminton, baseball or softball, racketball or squash, table tennis [or ping pong], tennis [doubles], or tennis [singles]) was based on self-reported recall data covering 3 age ranges (12-18, 19-34, and 35-49 years). Prevalent radiographic thumb-base osteoarthritis was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence grade >2 in the first carpometacarpal joint or scaphotrapezoidal joint at the Osteoarthritis Initiative baseline visit. Symptomatic thumb-base osteoarthritis was defined as radiographic osteoarthritis and hand or finger symptoms.

Radiographic or symptomatic thumb-base osteoarthritis was present in 355 (34%) and 56 (5%), respectively, of men (total = 1049) and 535 (42%) and 170 (13%), respectively, of women (total = 1260). After adjusting for age, race, and education level, we found no significant associations between a history of any racket or bat sport participation and thumb-base osteoarthritis (radiographic or symptomatic; odds ratios ranged from 0.82 to 1.34).

In a community-based cohort, a self-reported history of participation in racket or bat sports was not associated with increased odds of having radiographic or symptomatic thumb-base osteoarthritis in the dominant hand.