Skip to main content
The BMJ logoLink to The BMJ
. 1994 Jan 22;308(6923):231–234. doi: 10.1136/bmj.308.6923.231

Osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints of lower limbs in former élite male athletes.

U M Kujala 1, J Kaprio 1, S Sarna 1
PMCID: PMC2539324  PMID: 8111258

Abstract

OBJECTIVE--To compare the cumulative 21 year incidence of admission to hospital for osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and ankle in former élite athletes and control subjects. DESIGN--National population based study. SETTING--Finland. SUBJECTS--2049 male athletes who had represented Finland in international events during 1920-65 and 1403 controls who had been classified healthy at the age of 20. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Hospital admissions for osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and ankle joints identified from the national hospital discharge registry between 1970 and 1990. RESULTS--Athletes doing endurance sports, mixed sports, and power sports all had higher incidences of admission to hospital for osteoarthritis than controls. Age adjusted odds ratios compared with controls were 1.73 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 3.01, P = 0.063) in endurance, 1.90 (1.24 to 2.92, P = 0.003) in mixed sports athletes, and 2.17 (1.41 to 3.32, P = 0.0003) in power sports athletes. The mean age at first admission to hospital was higher in endurance athletes (70.6) than in other groups (58.2 in mixed sports, 61.9 in power sports, and 61.2 in controls). Among the 2046 respondents to a questionnaire in 1985, the odds ratios for admission to hospital were similar in all three groups after adjusting for age, occupation, and body mass index at 20 (2.37, 2.42, 2.68). CONCLUSIONS--Athletes from all types of competitive sports are at slightly increased risk of requiring hospital care because of osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, or ankle. Mixed sports and power sports lead to increased admissions for premature osteoarthritis, but in endurance athletes the admissions are at an older age.

Full text

PDF
232

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson J. J., Felson D. T. Factors associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in the first national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES I). Evidence for an association with overweight, race, and physical demands of work. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Jul;128(1):179–189. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114939. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Croft P., Coggon D., Cruddas M., Cooper C. Osteoarthritis of the hip: an occupational disease in farmers. BMJ. 1992 May 16;304(6837):1269–1272. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6837.1269. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DeHaven K. E. Rationale for meniscus repair or excision. Clin Sports Med. 1985 Apr;4(2):267–273. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Felson D. T., Anderson J. J., Naimark A., Walker A. M., Meenan R. F. Obesity and knee osteoarthritis. The Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 1988 Jul 1;109(1):18–24. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-109-1-18. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Johnson R. J., Eriksson E., Haggmark T., Pope M. H. Five- to ten-year follow-up evaluation after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1984 Mar;(183):122–140. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kannus P., Järvinen M. Conservatively treated tears of the anterior cruciate ligament. Long-term results. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1987 Sep;69(7):1007–1012. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Klünder K. B., Rud B., Hansen J. Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joint in retired football players. Acta Orthop Scand. 1980 Dec;51(6):925–927. doi: 10.3109/17453678008990896. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Konradsen L., Hansen E. M., Søndergaard L. Long distance running and osteoarthrosis. Am J Sports Med. 1990 Jul-Aug;18(4):379–381. doi: 10.1177/036354659001800408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lane N. E., Bloch D. A., Jones H. H., Marshall W. H., Jr, Wood P. D., Fries J. F. Long-distance running, bone density, and osteoarthritis. JAMA. 1986 Mar 7;255(9):1147–1151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lindberg H., Roos H., Gärdsell P. Prevalence of coxarthrosis in former soccer players. 286 players compared with matched controls. Acta Orthop Scand. 1993 Apr;64(2):165–167. doi: 10.3109/17453679308994561. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Puranen J., Ala-Ketola L., Peltokallio P., Saarela J. Running and primary osteoarthritis of the hip. Br Med J. 1975 May 24;2(5968):424–425. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5968.424-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sarna S., Sahi T., Koskenvuo M., Kaprio J. Increased life expectancy of world class male athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993 Feb;25(2):237–244. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Solonen K. A. The joints of the lower extremities of football players. Ann Chir Gynaecol Fenn. 1966;55(3):176–180. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Vingård E., Alfredsson L., Goldie I., Hogstedt C. Sports and osteoarthrosis of the hip. An epidemiologic study. Am J Sports Med. 1993 Mar-Apr;21(2):195–200. doi: 10.1177/036354659302100206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from BMJ : British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES