OBJECTIVES:This study aims to compare the prevalence of osteoarthritis in two groups: one comprising former professional soccer players and the other comprising non-professional-athlete participants.METHODS:Twenty-seven male former professional soccer players and 30 male volunteers from different non-sports professional areas participated in the study. All participants underwent bilateral knee radiography and magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, the quality of life, knee pain and joint function were evaluated and compared using questionnaires given to all participants in both groups. Specific knee evaluations, with regard to osteoarthritis and quality of life, were performed in both groups using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subjective questionnaires and the Short-form 36. The chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, the Mann-Whitney U test and Student's t-test were used for group comparisons.RESULTS:The between-groups comparison revealed significant differences in the following: pain, symptoms and quality of life related to the knee in the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales; the physical aspects subscale of the SF-36; total whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging scores with regard to the dominant and non-dominant knees. Former soccer players had worse scores than the controls in all comparisons.CONCLUSIONS:Both the clinical and magnetic resonance evaluations and the group comparisons performed in this study revealed that former soccer players have a worse quality of life than that of a control group with regard to physical aspects related to the knee; these aspects include greater pain, increased symptoms and substantial changes in radiographic and magnetic resonance images of the knee.

OBJECTIVES:This study sought to determine prevalences of injuries associated with CrossFit® training and assess profiles of these injuries and the affected athletes.METHODS:Data were collected over a 12-month period using a questionnaire administered directly to practitioners at CrossFit®-affiliated fitness centers in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 414 participants, 157 (37.9%) participants reported having suffered an injury while practicing CrossFit®.RESULTS:The injury rate was 3.24 injuries per 1,000 hours of training. The probability of injury for athletes who had practiced CrossFit® for longer than 12 months was 82.2%, which was higher than the corresponding probability for beginner athletes. The probability of injury was 5-fold higher among competitive-level athletes than that among less-experienced athletes. No evidence of an association between the occurrence of injuries during CrossFit® practice and any of the following athlete characteristics was found: age, gender, practice of other sports, weight, and height. The incidence of injuries in this sports modality was similar to that in other modalities, including Olympic weight lifting (OWL), basic weight lifting, and artistic gymnastics.CONCLUSION:CrossFit® appears to be a training program that is suitable for different age groups when performed in a safe environment and with assistance from qualified professionals.

Injury to the medial compartment of the knee is the most common ligament injury to this joint. The medial approach must consider the presence of associated anteromedial instability. Untreated injury of these instabilities can result in failure of the other reconstructed ligaments. As treatment is usually associated with other ligaments, it is relevant that the technique could save grafts and synthetic material. This article aims to describe a technique for the treatment of anteromedial instabilities through semimembranosus tendon tenodesis in a more anterior and distal position, promoting the tensioning of the posteromedial structures.

Objective: To provide an analysis of the 50 most cited articles on knee surgery in the Brazilian medical literature. Methods: This is a study of systematic review and meta-analysis, level of evidence 3. It was carried out through search in the SCOPUS database to identify scientific articles published in the Brazilian medical literature. Eighty-six Brazilian journals were analyzed, and articles with ten or more citations and which had the word “joelho” or “knee” in the title, abstract or keywords were selected. Results: All articles were published as of the year 2000 in 14 journals. The Journal Clinics presented the largest number of publications, followed by Acta Ortopédica Brasileira. The main focus of the studies was on anatomy and biomechanics, mainly from Brazilian authors. Most of the authors were Brazilian, from Brazilian and public research institutions. Conclusion: Biometric analysis has been gaining ground in recent years, but its interpretation must consider various aspects related to the paramount analytical importance.