Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33614799›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2021

Asymptomatic Foot and Ankle Abnormalities in Elite Professional Soccer Players.

Eduard Bezuglov, Vladimir Khaitin, Artemii Lazarev, Alesia Brodskaia, Anastasiya Lyubushkina, Kamila Kubacheva, Zbigniew Waśkiewicz, Arseniy Petrov, Nicola Maffulli

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Eduard BezuglovDepartment of Sport Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
Vladimir KhaitinPavlov First St. Petersburg State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Artemii LazarevDepartment of Sport Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
Alesia BrodskaiaCentral Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Anastasiya LyubushkinaHigh Performance Sports Laboratory, Moscow Witte University, Moscow, Russia.
Kamila KubachevaSt. Petersburg State Public Institution City Hospital No. 40, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Zbigniew WaśkiewiczDepartment of Sport Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.
Arseniy PetrovGeorg-August University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Nicola MaffulliDepartment of Musculoskeletal Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
Moscow Witte University · RUSechenov University · RUCentral Clinical Hospital and Polyclinic · RUFirst Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg · RUQueen Mary University of London · GBUniversity of Göttingen · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProfessional 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

designCase series; Level of evidence, 4.

methodsProfessional 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.

resultsThe 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.

conclusionElite 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.

Indexed as

ankledegenerative joint diseaseelite athletesfootsoccer

Identifiers

PMID33614799
PMCPMC7869170
OpenAlexW3129008323

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.