Osteochondral lesions of the talus in the athlete: up to date review

Background: Professional soccer players are often evaluated with asymptomatic lesions of the ankle and foot, and such abnormalities may eventually become clinically relevant. Purpose: To ascertain the prevalence of foot and ankle abnormalities in elite professional adult soccer players. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Professional adult male elite soccer players (n = 37) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of both their feet and ankles. All competed for their respective national junior or adult soccer teams. MRI scans were performed with 1.5-T scanners and analyzed independently by 2 experienced radiologists. Results: The MRI scans of 86.5% of the players showed degenerative joint disease (DJD) in at least 1 of the joints of the foot and ankle. Articular cartilage lesions in the joints of the foot and ankle were evident in 42% of the scans. Of all lesions, 17% were grade 3 or 4 (Noyes and Stabler classification) cartilage lesions and accompanied by subchondral bone marrow edema. The greater the age, weight, and height of the players, the greater was the odds ratio of DJD of the ankle joint. Synovitis in at least 1 of the joints of the foot was detected in 64% of the MRI scans. Leg dominance significantly correlated with bone marrow edema of the talus. Conclusion: Elite professional soccer players are often evaluated with a high prevalence of asymptomatic osteochondral lesions with subchondral bone marrow edema in the foot and ankle. These osteochondral lesions may remain asymptomatic or, with the continuing high-intensity stresses that modern professional soccer demands of its athletes, may evolve and cause foot and ankle pain. It is unclear whether and which interventions can be implemented to prevent the occurrence of these abnormalities in the first place.

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“…1 Most studies on this topic are of a low level of evidence, and management lacks evidence-based support. 25…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymptomatic Foot and Ankle Abnormalities in Elite Professional Soccer Players

Bezuglov

Khaitin

Lazarev

et al. 2021

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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“…In contrast, the prognosis is poor when the range is larger than 15 mm, the lesion is located on the medial side, and there is subchondral cystic degeneration and intra-articular osteophyte formation [ 22 ]. Study of the effect of the depth of the talus cartilage defect on repair is still insufficient [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have noted that the defect area in the talus cartilage is an important factor, and choice of treatment is based on the defect area of the cartilage. Currently, however, research is insufficient on the effect of the depth of talus cartilage defects on repair outcome [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Talar Osteochondral Defects of Different Depths on Ankle Joint Stability

Wei

2020

Med Sci Monit

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Background Talus cartilage injury leads to changes in biomechanics of the ankle joint and ultimately affects ankle joint function, but which talus cartilage defects require surgery is still uncertain. This research used a finite element method to simulate the effect of different depth of talus cartilage defects on the stress and stability of the ankle joint in a certain area. Material/Methods A three-dimensional finite element model with different depths of osteochondral defects was created to simulate and calculate joint stress and displacement of the articular surface of the distal tibia and the proximal talus while the ankle joint was in the push-off, midstance, and heel-strike phases. Results The equivalent stress of the proximal talus did not change significantly at a defect depth of 1 mm, whereas the equivalent stress of the upper talus increased significantly at a defect depth of ≥3 mm or more, reaching a maximum value at a defect depth of 10 mm. The equivalent stress of the tibial cartilage and the equivalent stress and displacement in the corresponding forces in the midstance phase and heel-strike phase were significantly different from those in the normal group, but the difference in stress in each defect group was not obvious. Conclusions The effect of cartilage defects of the talus on biomechanics of the ankle is clear, especially in the midstance and push-off phases. When the defect reaches the subchondral bone (at a depth of 3 mm), the most obvious change in ankle joint stability occurs, and it does not increase linearly with the increase in depth of the defect.

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“…When studying the evidence of outcomes in athletes, it is clear that even less is known in this specific patient group. 81 Athletes have different needs for treatment compared with the general population. While a number of studies have focused on sports-related outcomes after the surgical treatment of talar OCDs, 14,34,69,91,93 there is, to our knowledge, no available systematic review including all surgical treatment options for talar OCDs, with associated sports-specific outcomes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Return to Sports After Surgical Treatment of Osteochondral Defects of the Talus: A Systematic Review of 2347 Cases

Steman

Dahmen

Lambers

et al. 2019

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine

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Background: Osteochondral defects (OCDs) of the talus are found subsequent to ankle sprains and ankle fractures. With many surgical treatment strategies available, there is no clear evidence on return-to-sport (RTS) times and rates. Purpose: To summarize RTS times and rates for talar OCDs treated by different surgical techniques. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The literature from January 1996 to November 2018 was screened, and identified studies were divided into 7 different surgical treatment groups. The RTS rate, with and without associated levels of activity, and the mean time to RTS were calculated per study. When methodologically possible, a simplified pooling method was used to combine studies within 1 treatment group. Study bias was assessed using the MINORS (Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies) scoring system. Results: A total of 61 studies including 2347 talar OCDs were included. The methodological quality of the studies was poor. There were 10 retrospective case series (RCSs) that investigated bone marrow stimulation in 339 patients, with a pooled mean rate of RTS at any level of 88% (95% CI, 84%-91%); 2 RCSs investigating internal fixation in 47 patients found a pooled RTS rate of 97% (95% CI, 85%-99%), 5 RCSs in which autograft transplantation was performed in 194 patients found a pooled RTS rate of 90% (95% CI, 86%-94%), and 3 prospective case series on autologous chondrocyte implantation in 39 patients found a pooled RTS rate of 87% (95% CI, 73%-94%). The rate of return to preinjury level of sports was 79% (95% CI, 70%-85%) for 120 patients after bone marrow stimulation, 72% (95% CI, 60%-83%) for 67 patients after autograft transplantation, and 69% (95% CI, 54%-81%) for 39 patients after autologous chondrocyte implantation. The mean time to RTS ranged from 13 to 26 weeks, although no pooling was possible for this outcome measure. Conclusion: Different surgical treatment options for talar OCDs allow for adequate RTS times and rates. RTS rates decreased when considering patients’ return to preinjury levels versus return at any level.

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Osteochondral lesions of the talus in the athlete: up to date review

Cited by 24 publications

References 99 publications

Asymptomatic Foot and Ankle Abnormalities in Elite Professional Soccer Players

Asymptomatic Foot and Ankle Abnormalities in Elite Professional Soccer Players

Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Talar Osteochondral Defects of Different Depths on Ankle Joint Stability

Return to Sports After Surgical Treatment of Osteochondral Defects of the Talus: A Systematic Review of 2347 Cases

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