The Coronal Alignment of Lower Limbs in the Adolescent Football and Ice Hockey Players

© The Author(s) 2023..

Background: To investigate the influence of sport-specific activities on coronal axial alignment of the lower limbs in adolescent football and ice hockey players.

Methods: This cross-sectional study targeted healthy adolescent male football and ice hockey players with at least 3 years of sports participation. 90 football and 38 ice hockey players aged 12-16 years were divided into five age-matched subgroups. Coronal alignment of the lower limbs was determined by measuring the players' intercondylar or intermalleolar (ICD-IMD) distance with a custom-made calliper. In addition, their sports history was recorded. An age-matched comparison between the two sports groups was performed using the two-way model ANOVA and a multiple regression model for ICD-IMD was constructed. Results were additionally compared with age-matched data from the general population published in recent literature.

Results: A statistically significant increase in ICD-IMD values (p < 0.05) was found between 12 (football 0 mm; ice hockey - 64 mm) and 16 years (football 340 mm; ice hockey 310 mm) in both sports groups. Results of regression analysis of pooled group data showed that ICD-IMD has low positive correlation (r = 0.407; r2 = 0.168; p < 0.05) with time of participation in sport, but no association with age of athletes at the start of their sport participation (r = - 0.018; r2 = 0.000; p > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups at any time point. Both sports groups showed a significant increase in ICD-IMD values (mean 198 mm) after the age of 14 compared to the general population.

Conclusions: Participation in football and ice hockey is associated with a similar increase in ICD-IMD in the adolescent years in male athletes. The observed increase was higher in both groups of athletes than in their peers who do not regularly participate in sports.

Level of Evidence: Level 4 (case series).

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:58

Enthalten in:

Indian journal of orthopaedics - 58(2024), 2 vom: 31. Feb., Seite 176-181

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Žlak, Nik [VerfasserIn]
Krajnc, Zmago [VerfasserIn]
Merčun, Aljaž [VerfasserIn]
Drobnič, Matej [VerfasserIn]
Kacin, Alan [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Adolescent
Bowlegs
Coronal alignment
Football
Ice hockey
Journal Article
Lower limbs
Male
Varus

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 06.02.2024

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1007/s43465-023-01061-8

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM368021009