Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39863740›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Asymptomatic female softball pitchers have altered hip morphology and cartilage composition.

Stuart J Warden, Sally L Coburn, Robyn K Fuchs, Rachel K Surowiec, Julio Carballido-Gamio, Joanne L Kemp, Peter K Jalaie, David F Hanff, Antony J R Palmer, Scott J Fernquest and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. 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

12 authors.

Stuart J WardenDepartment of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences, Indiana University Indianapolis, 1050 Wishard Blvd, RG-3147, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. stwarden@iu.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-6415-4936
Sally L CoburnLa Trobe Sport & Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-2233-0006
Robyn K FuchsTom and Julia Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine, Marian University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6227-729X
Rachel K SurowiecWeldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7614-4412
Julio Carballido-GamioDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6593-7182
Joanne L KempLa Trobe Sport & Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9234-1923
Peter K JalaieWeldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
David F HanffDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2743-0214
Antony J R PalmerNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4616-7482
Scott J FernquestNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7403-5201
Kay M CrossleyLa Trobe Sport & Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5892-129X
Joshua J HeereyLa Trobe Sport & Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-8691-1830

Funding

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Project Management: Improving Submissions and Study Conduct in the Human Subjects Research Prior Approval ProcessUL1TR002529 · NCATS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI MOE, SHARON M, WIEHE, SARAH ELIZABETH · 2018 to 2022
$27.2M
Resource CoreP30AR072581 · NIAMS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI Sharon M Moe · 2017 to 2026
$8.3M
National Health and Medical Research Council GNT1169635National Health and Medical Research Council GNT2017844NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002529NCATS NIH HHS UL1TR002529NIAMS NIH HHS AR072581NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR072581
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Few studies have explored hip morphology and cartilage composition in female athletes or the impact of asymmetric repetitive loading, such as occurs during softball pitching. The current cross-sectional study assessed bilateral bony hip morphology on computed tomography imaging in collegiate-level softball pitchers ('Pitch1', n = 25) and cross-country runners ('Run', n = 13). Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess cartilage relaxation times in a second cohort of pitchers ('Pitch2', n = 10) and non-athletic controls ('Con', n = 4). Pitch1 had 52% greater maximum alpha angle than Run (p < 0.001) and were 21.3 (95% CI 2.4 to 192.0) times more likely to have an alpha angle ≥ 60° within at least one hip. Pitch2 had longer T2 relaxation times in the superior femoral cartilage of the drive leg (same side as the throwing arm) and stride leg than Con (all p < 0.02). The drive leg in Pitch2 had longer T1ρ and T2 relaxation times in the superior femoral cartilage compared to the stride leg (all p ≤ 0.03). Asymptomatic softball pitchers exhibit altered bony hip morphology and cartilage composition compared to cross-country runners and non-athletic controls, respectively. They also exhibit asymmetry in cartilage composition. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted and any potential long-term consequences of the changes in terms of symptom and osteoarthritis development requires investigation.

Indexed as

BaseballCartilage, ArticularHipHip JointAdultAthletesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingTomography, X-Ray ComputedYoung AdultArthritisCam morphologyFemoroacetabular impingementHip jointMagnetic resonance imagingOsteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID39863740
PMCPMC11762768

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.