Examination of Knee Osteoarthritis in Retired Professional Athletes and Nonathletic Individuals

Background & Aims: Nowadays, advantages of participating in physical activities have been recommended to prevent chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis. However, the risks that severe physical activity might have on the musculoskeletal system of athletes are still unperceived. The current study aims to investigate the comparison of knee osteoarthritis grade, knee pain, symptoms and physical function in daily, sport, and recreation activities, and life quality of retired professional athletes and nonathletic individuals. Materials and Method: In this cross-sectional study, 60 former elite male athletes who were practicing soccer, wrestling, and track and field, with a mean age of 50-65 years were purposefully selected as study subjects and divided into four equal groups (each one with 15 males).The diagnosis was confirmed by clinical symptoms and radiological (Kellgren-Lawrence) orthopedic doctors. Besides, a globalized and localized questionnaire of Knee Injuries and Osteoarthritis Outcomes (KOOS) was used in this study. To analyze our data, two statistical tests of variance analysis (ANOVA) and Tukey Post Hoc Test at p ≤ 0.05 were applied. Results: Lower means of knee pain, symptoms, physical function in daily, sport, and recreation activities, quality of life coupled with the upper mean knee osteoarthritis grade in the in athletes in three studied groups (soccer, wrestling, and track and field) than nonathletic individuals showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusions: Sports in professional level results in increasing knee osteoarthritis in former elite athletes. These outcomes are much more evident in the sports having a combination of strength and endurance activities than endurance sports.