ArticleRheumatology (Oxford, England)2026
Injury and local injection and the risk of foot/ankle osteoarthritis: a case-control study in retired UK male professional footballers.
Article in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
objectiveThe objective of this study was to examine whether foot/ankle injury and injection contribute to the risk of foot/ankle OA in retired UK male professional footballers.
methodsThis was a case-control study among retired UK male footballers, in which cases reported General Practitioner-diagnosed foot/ankle OA or forefoot/ankle surgery after retirement, and controls reported neither. Injury was defined as significant foot/ankle injury with pain for most days over 3 months during their career. Injection was defined as injection of corticosteroids or other agents into foot/ankle joints during their career. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression. Areas Under the Curve (AUCs) and 95% CIs were estimated to examine the contribution of injury and/or injection in the context of other available risk factors.
resultsOf 424 footballers studied, 63 had foot/ankle OA and 361 had neither. Cases had similar mean age (63.2 vs 63.0, P = 0.457) and BMI (27.7 vs 27.0, P = 0.240) to those of controls, but more foot/ankle injury (73.3% vs 42.5%, P < 0.001) and injections (75.0% vs 48.4%, P < 0.001), with aORs of 4.23 (95% CI 1.88-9.48) and 2.62 (95% CI 1.19-5.78), respectively. The AUC was 0.69 (95% CI 0.62-0.77) for injury, 0.74 (95% CI 0.66-0.81) for injury and injection, and 0.78 (95% CI 0.70-0.85) for all risk factors. Similar results were observed in footballers with ankle OA only.
conclusionInjury was a major risk factor for foot/ankle OA in retired UK male professional footballers. The role of injection needs cautious interpretation due to potential confounding by indication.
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