Osteoarthritis in Athletes Versus Nonathletes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Joint overload and sport-related injuries may accelerate the development of osteoarthritis (OA). A systematic review of the literature was performed to establish the risk of athletes to develop premature OA compared with nonathletes.Materials and Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Google scholar, Embase, and Web of Science databases were accessed in June 2021. All the published clinical studies investigating OA onset in athletes versus nonathletes were considered. Studies reporting data on secondary and/or post-traumatic OA were excluded.Results: Data from 32 articles (20,288 patients) were retrieved. The mean age was 67.8 ± 10.0 years and the mean body mass index was 25.0 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 . 74% (6859 patients) of the athletes suffered from premature OA. Of them, 21% were active in soccer, 11% in handball, 11% in ice-hockey, 3% in football, and 0.3% in rugby. 26% of the athletes reported no significant differences in OA progression compared with healthy controls. Of these athletes, 47% were runners, 5% dancers, and 1% triathletes. Conclusion:Certain sports, such as soccer, handball, ice-hockey, and rugby are more likely to be associated with premature knee and hip OA. Conversely, runners and ballet dancers do not evidence significant increase in OA. Moderate and recreational exposure to aerobic sports does not accelerate the development of OA.

Long-term function, body composition and cardiometabolic health in midlife former athletes: a scoping review

“…Collectively, these studies suggest former athletes may be fitter, healthier and stronger well into midlife and older age,73 despite high rates of radiographic OA 72. It is possible that former athletes benefit from persistently greater quadriceps muscle strength, which could help preserve better function,74 and/or high cardiorespiratory fitness, which could (partially) counteract deleterious consequences of higher OA prevalence 6 7 72 75. Future studies could investigate the effect of prior sports participation on cardiorespiratory fitness and function in midlife and older adults who have OA.…”

“…Participating frequently in competitive sports may have beneficial and harmful long-term health implications, as athletes often engage in vigorous intensity exercise and strength-training yet are also exposed to high training loads and musculoskeletal injury risk. Recently published studies suggest former athletes live longer than age-matched peers3–5 yet also have a higher risk for lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) and joint replacement 6–8. A systematic review and meta-analysis of cardiovascular disease risk factors in male former team-sport athletes found inconsistencies in the reporting of cardiovascular disease risk factors and inconclusive results 9.…”

“…Despite mounting research on athletes, much remains unknown regarding the effects of previous high-level sport participation on long-term health. Recent review articles have evaluated pain,34 quality of life,35 OA,6 mortality3 5 and cardiovascular health9 among former athletes and the benefits of sport in adults 60 years of age and older 36. Prior studies have yet to systematically review data on physical function or to examine body composition and cardiometabolic health in male and female midlife former athletes across a broad range of sports.…”

“…Recently published studies suggest former athletes live longer than age-matched peers 3–5 yet also have a higher risk for lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA) and joint replacement. 6–8 A systematic review and meta-analysis of cardiovascular disease risk factors in male former team-sport athletes found inconsistencies in the reporting of cardiovascular disease risk factors and inconclusive results. 9 Traditional sports medicine focuses on athletes’ health during or soon after their athletic careers and rarely evaluates health outcomes later in life.…”

Midlife health crisis of former competitive athletes: dissecting their experiences via qualitative study

“…Former elite athletes live longer than non-athletes1 2 yet also have higher rates of musculoskeletal injury,3–8 osteoarthritis2 9 and joint replacement 2 10. Limited evidence to date presents an unclear picture of long-term implications of sports participation on cardiometabolic health, body composition, function and overall wellness in ageing former athletes 11 12.…”