Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39201888›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2024

High Prevalence of Varus Knee Malalignment in Adolescent Football Players-Clinical Lower Leg Axis Measurements of Male Junior Football Players Aged 7 to 18 Years.

Clemens Memmel, Dominik Sporrer, Dominik Szymski, Johannes Weber, Alexander Hanke, Markus Denzinger, Maximilian Kerschbaum, Volker Alt, Werner Krutsch, Matthias Koch

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Clemens MemmelDepartment of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, Clinic St. Hedwig, Barmherzige Brueder Regensburg, KUNO Pediatric University Medical Center, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4109-1901
Dominik SporrerDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Dominik SzymskiDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1739-8524
Johannes WeberDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4838-9644
Alexander HankeDepartment of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, Clinic St. Hedwig, Barmherzige Brueder Regensburg, KUNO Pediatric University Medical Center, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.
Markus DenzingerDepartment of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, Clinic St. Hedwig, Barmherzige Brueder Regensburg, KUNO Pediatric University Medical Center, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1580-0273
Maximilian KerschbaumDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4996-8808
Volker AltDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0208-4650
Werner KrutschDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Matthias KochDepartment of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Funding

Fédération Internationale de Football Association
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFootball, as the most popular sport worldwide, has long been under suspicion of causing varus knee alignment as early as adolescence. However, no causal relationship has yet been found. The first step to do so would be to determine the prevalence of lower leg malalignment among male junior football players depending on age, performance level and the number of active seasons played.

methodsLeg axis alignment in frontal plane was determined in male junior football players of different age levels between 7 and 18 years by measuring the intercondylar/intermalleolar distance (ICD/IMD) in an upright position. In addition to anthropometric data, multiple sport-specific data such as the start of their football career or training time per week were collected by means of questionnaires (clinical trial registration number: DRKS00020446).

results207 male junior football players were included in this survey. The mean age was 12.8 years. Within the group of 15 to 18 year olds, the prevalence of varus knee malalignment was highest at just under a third (32.1%). In the subpopulation that played actively for more than ten seasons, 28.9% showed varus leg axis. Regarding performance level, the highest IMD/ICD values and highest prevalence of varus alignment were found among football players who play on a semi-professional level (16.7%), compared to amateur (11.4%) and high-performance levels (2.8%).

conclusionsFurther research is necessary to investigate if this high prevalence of varus knee in children of a higher age and higher playing levels is due to the selection bias of football players with varus knee or a real development of varus knee in individuals.

Indexed as

bowlegsjunior footballlower leg alignmenttraining loadvarus knee

Identifiers

PMID39201888
PMCPMC11352970

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.