A Cross-Sectional Study of Retired Great British Olympians (Berlin 1936–Sochi 2014): Olympic Career Injuries, Joint Health in Later Life, and Reasons for Retirement from Olympic Sport

Abstract

Background The relationship between Olympic career sport injury and the long-term musculoskeletal health of the elite athlete remains unclear. This study describes the lifetime prevalence of medical attention injuries that occurred during training and/or competition as part of the athlete’s Olympic career, reasons for retirement from Olympic sport, and the point prevalence of pain and osteoarthritis (OA) among retired Great Britain’s (GB) Olympians. Methods This cross-sectional study involved distributing a questionnaire to retired GB Olympians who had competed at 36 Olympic Games between Berlin 1936 and Sochi 2014. The questionnaire captured Olympic career injury history (lasting ≥ 1 month), sport exposure, musculoskeletal pain (last 4 weeks), physician-diagnosed OA, and joint replacement. Injury prevalence was calculated for sports with a minimal of 15 respondents. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were estimated in logistic regression for pain, OA, and joint replacement. Models were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and career duration. Results Six hundred fifty (57.8% male; 42.2% female) retired athletes representing 40 sports (29 summer; 11 winter), aged 60.5 years (range 23–97), completed the questionnaire. Overall, 721 injuries (368 athletes) were self-reported equating to a lifetime Olympic career injury prevalence of 56.6%. Injury prevalence was highest in field athletics (81.0%), gymnastics (75.0%), and track athletics (67.7%). Injuries most frequently occurred at the knee (19.0%), lower back (15.4%), and shoulder (11.5%). Of those injured, 19.5% retired from sport due to injury. Pain was most prevalent at the lumbar spine (32.8%), knee (25.3%), and hip (22.5%), and OA at the knee (13.4%), hip (10.4%), and lumbar spine (4.6%). Injury was associated with pain at the hip (aOR 4.88; 95% CI, 1.87–12.72, p = 0.001), knee (aOR 2.35; 95% CI, 1.45–3.81, p = 0.001), and lumbar spine (aOR 2.53; 95% CI, 1.63–3.92, p < 0.001); OA at the hip (aOR 5.97; 95% CI, 1.59–22.47, p = 0.008) and knee (aOR 3.91; 95% CI, 2.21–6.94, p < 0.001); and joint replacement at the hip (aOR 8.71; 95% CI, 2.13–35.63, p = 0.003) and knee (aOR 5.29; 95% CI, 2.39–11.74, p < 0.001). Conclusion The lifetime prevalence of Olympic career injury was 56.6%, with those injured more likely to self-report current pain and/or OA at the hip, knee, and lumbar spine and joint replacement at the hip and knee.

New sports, COVID-19 and the heat: sports injuries and illnesses in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

“…The extreme nature of their line of work, striving to outperform their peers through relentlessly pushing their physical and mental boundaries,1 also means that many oscillate between being either almost injured or injured throughout their careers. While athletes benefit from greater life expectancy and lower risk of chronic disease and hospital admission compared with the general population,2–5 they do run a high risk of injuries and musculoskeletal disorders throughout,1 6–11 and after the end12–15 of their sporting career.…”

Prevalence of and factors associated with osteoarthritis and pain in retired Olympians compared with the general population: part 2 – the spine and upper limb

“…The lumbar spine was one of the most common locations for self-reported physician-diagnosed OA (5.7% of Olympians), second only to knee OA,1 and it was the most common location for current pain (19.3%), in the present study. Previous studies in retired athletes reported 29.3% experiencing lumbar spine pain in a multisport cohort of retired male Finnish athletes,15 10% of retired elite cricketers experiencing back OA and 14% back pain (thoracic and lumbar spine, combined),8 and 4.6% of retired Olympians from Great Britain reporting lumbar spine OA and 32.8% lumbar spine pain 9. Differences that exist between studies may be due to differing cohort ages, different classifications for location of OA and pain, for example, lumbar spine, back or spine, and recordable definitions for OA and pain, such as radiographic or self-reported physician-diagnosed OA, and pain of any duration vs ≥1 month.…”

“…Differences that exist between studies may be due to differing cohort ages, different classifications for location of OA and pain, for example, lumbar spine, back or spine, and recordable definitions for OA and pain, such as radiographic or self-reported physician-diagnosed OA, and pain of any duration vs ≥1 month. The lumbar spine is one of the most frequently injured body locations, presenting among the highest injury severity in current16 17 and retired Olympians 1 9. Significant joint injury is a risk factor for the development of OA at the knee and hip in football,5 18 19 cervical spine OA in rugby,7 and knee and hip OA in Olympic sport4 retired cohorts.…”

“…To date, most retired athlete studies have focused on factors and outcomes associated with OA and pain in isolated body joints of the lower limb, such as the hip and knee 2–6. Conversely, while a few retired athlete studies have reported the prevalence of pain and OA in the spine7–9 and the upper limb,8 there has been no focus on the factors influencing these outcomes in these body regions in retired elite athletes. Hence, the joint dependent response to risk factors associated with OA and pain in the spine and upper limb in retired athletes remains currently unexplored 10.…”

Understanding the first injury in athletics and its effect on dropout from sport: an online survey on 544 high-level youth and junior athletics (track and field) athletes

“…This is also true in other sports 19. Injuries could play a role in this difficult transition between youth and junior to senior athletes by altering individual progression and/or causing dropout from sports 6 14 16. There is, however, little data reporting the magnitude of sports dropout of high-performing youth athletes,19 and specifically in athletics, as well as the role of injuries as a cause of athletics dropout,13 and thus altering the sustainable practice of athletics.…”