Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41948445›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2026

Factors Associated With Functional Outcomes in Former Professional American-Style Football Players With Symptomatic Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis.

Michelle M Bruneau, Rachel Grashow, Logan Gaudette, Marc G Weisskopf, Alicia J Whittington, Herman A Taylor, Meagan Wasfy, Frank E Speizer, Ross Zafonte, Aaron Baggish and 2 more

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Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 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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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Michelle M BruneauDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6289-2038
Rachel GrashowFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Logan GaudetteDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
Marc G WeisskopfFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Alicia J WhittingtonFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Herman A TaylorMorehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Meagan WasfyFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Frank E SpeizerFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Ross ZafonteFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Aaron BaggishFootball Players Health Study at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Joanne Borg-SteinDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
Adam S TenfordeDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Functional outcomes and patient characteristics of knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) have been described in general populations; however, this has yet to be investigated in former professional American-style football (ASF) players. Purpose: To explore ASF exposures, previous injuries, health factors, and radiographs in order to understand contributions to function using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) in former ASF players. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Living former ASF players who participated in ASF between 1960 and 2022 were identified through the NFL Players Association and invited to participate in the study. Enrolled participants were selectively recruited by condition (cardiometabolic disease, chronic pain, neurocognitive impairment, or sleep apnea) and completed the KOOS, HOOS, and a survey on comorbidities, previous injuries, and ASF exposures. Weightbearing radiographs were obtained for hips and knees for radiographic severity. Backward stepwise linear regression examined the association between KOOS or HOOS subscales and function, reported health, and ASF characteristics, and results were weighted for selection effects. Results: Most former ASF players (n = 90; age, 48.3 ± 7.7 years; Black, 55.6%) had evidence of knee (n = 89; 89.9%) or hip (n = 95; 95.9%) OA. Higher pain severity, higher body mass index (BMI), prior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, and greater radiographic severity were associated with lower KOOS values corresponding to worse knee functional outcomes. Higher HOOS values indicating better hip function were associated with meeting physical activity standards and longer professional careers, but there was no association with radiographic severity. Conclusion: Variability was found within HOOS and KOOS measures. Radiographic findings appeared to correspond with functional status in former ASF players with knee OA but not hip OA. Higher BMI and pain severity were associated with worse function in knee OA, and ACL surgery was associated with worse function in symptom severity and sports function on KOOS. These findings may contribute to obtaining functional measures, history, and radiographs to evaluate limitations associated with knee and hip OA in this population.

Indexed as

former professional American-style football playership osteoarthritisHOOSknee osteoarthritisKOOSradiographs

Identifiers

PMID41948445
PMCPMC13051125

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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.