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The Dark Side of Intense Sports and Exercise
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Posted on: 11/30/1999
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No one argues that frequent exercise has many benefits. Sports and exercise strengthen the heart, lungs, bones, and muscles. Exercise helps keep people slim. But very active people face a higher risk of injuries to the joints. This is especially true of athletic children and teens. Childhood sports injuries can create problems later in life. To make matters worse, doctors are seeing more and more sports injuries to the joints.
These authors feel that studies should be done on athletes over the long term. They say there is not enough data to show what happens when injured athletes return to sports. What is their situation 10, 20, and 30 years down the road? Are they still able to do normal tasks without pain? Did they need further surgery for the same problem? Have they developed osteoarthritis (OA)?
Existing research is not reassuring. The authors cite studies showing that:
People who had a knee injury as teenagers were twice as likely to develop knee OA by age 65. Among people who tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee, 70 percent show signs of knee OA 10 to 20 years later. People who injure their ACL are much, much more likely to have another ACL injury in the future. Fifty percent of people who tear the meniscus in the knee develop knee OA many years later. Children and teens who need meniscus surgery have worse function years later than people who didn't.
And some research suggests that you don't even have to get injured. Some studies found that people who were very physically active as teens were at much higher risk for knee OA. This seemed to hold true even if people had become more sedentary later in life.
So what should athletes do with all this doom-and-gloom data? The authors warn that doctors need to be sure to take care of their patients rather than just managing the injury. Returning an athlete to competitive sports might not always be in the patient's best interests over the long haul. The authors recommend that more research should be done to understand how injuries and physical activity are linked to knee OA. More information would help doctors and patients do a better job of weighing the costs of intense sports and exercise.
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References:
James G. Garrick, MD, and Ralph K. Requa, MPH. Sports and Fitness Activities: The Negative Consequences. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. November/December 2003. Vol. 11. No. 6. Pp. 439-443.
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*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. |
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