Observational studyKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2018
Disc degeneration on MRI is more prevalent in young elite skiers compared to controls.
Observational study in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Exercise on Intervertebral Disc Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Incidence and risk factors of distal adjacent disc degeneration in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing fusion surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Elite rock-climbers exhibit early signs of degenerative spinal changes; enhanced analysis using quantitative MRI.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Early intervertebral degeneration patterns among elite amateur golfers: A T2∗ mapping study.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Disc Degeneration in Elite Cross-Country Skiers: A Comparative Study With Non-Athlete Controls.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2025Observational
- Longitudinal Assessment of Intersegmental Abnormalities in the Lumbar Spine of Adolescent Competitive Alpine Skiers Over 48 Months.The American journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Snow sports-specific extension of the IOC consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting epidemiological data on injury and illness in sports.British journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Prevalence of degenerative vertebral disc changes in elite female Crossfit athletes - a cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Detailed MRI evaluation of the spine: a 2-year follow-up study of young individuals reporting different training doses.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Article
- Radiological Findings of the Lumbar Spine in High School and Collegiate Sumo Wrestlers.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
- Epidemiology of Lumbar Degenerative Phenotypes of Children and Adolescents: A Large-Scale Imaging Study.Global spine journal · 2023Article
- Low occurrence of MRI spinal changes in elite climbing athletes; a cross-sectional study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Low Back Pain and Lumbar Degeneration in Japanese Professional Baseball Players.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2022Article
- Patterns of Intervertebral Disk Alteration in Asymptomatic Elite Rowers: A T2* MRI Mapping Study.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2022Article
- Deadbug Bridging Performance in 6- to 15-Year-Old Competitive Alpine Skiers-A Cross-Sectional Study.Biology · 2022Article
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in High School Football Players: Brain and Cervical Spine.Neurotrauma reports · 2022Article
- No Significant Change in MRI Abnormalities or Back Pain Prevalence in the Thoraco-Lumbar Spine of Young Elite Skiers Over a 2-Year Follow-Up.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2022Article
- Different disc characteristics between young elite skiers with diverse training histories revealed with a novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging method.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeEvidence-based facts regarding spine abnormalities and back pain are needed in order to develop rehabilitation programs and prevent spine injuries in young skiers. The aim therefore is to identify MRI changes in the thoraco-lumbar spine and the lifetime prevalence of back pain, as well as the association between them, in young skiers compared to non-athletes.
methodsSeventy-five young elite alpine and mogul skiers, age range 16-20 years, were compared with 27 non-athletic controls. All subjects underwent spinal MRI and answered back pain questionnaires.
resultsFifty-six percent of skiers had at least one disc Pfirrmann grade ≥3 compared to 30% of controls (p = 0.027). Schmorl's nodes (46%) and disc height reduction (37%) were significantly more prevalent in skiers compared to controls (0%) (p < 0.001). When all parameters were combined together, skiers had significantly higher rate of radiological changes than controls, 82% compared to 54% (p = 0.007). The mean number of discs with Pfirrmann grade ≥3 was 1.1 per individual in skiers (median 1, range 0-6) versus 0.6 in controls (median 0, range 0-3). There was no significant difference in lifetime prevalence of back pain between skiers (50%) and controls (44%) (n.s.). MRI abnormalities in skiers did not correlate with lifetime prevalence of back pain. Skiers had a better health perception than controls (p = 0.026).
conclusionAlpine skiers have more degenerative disc changes compared to non-athletes, but these changes do not correlate with the lifetime prevalence of back pain. Lifetime prevalence of back pain is not significantly different between the groups; however, skiers report more severe pain on VAS score. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.
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