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PhD Academy Award
Hip joint imaging findings in football players with hip and groin pain (PhD Academy Award)
  1. Joshua J Heerey
  1. La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Joshua J Heerey, La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; J.Heerey{at}latrobe.edu.au

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107317

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    What did I do?

    I evaluated the importance of hip joint imaging findings in young adult football (Australian football and soccer) players with longstanding hip and/or groin pain (HGP).

    Why did I do it?

    Participation in football is associated with increased odds of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA) in later life.1 The path towards OA may commence early in the lifespan of a football player, but studies of young adult football players are lacking. It is also unclear if the structural joint changes seen on imaging are associated with HGP or if cam morphology plays a role in early hip OA development in young athletes. Gaining a greater understanding of the prevalence of early hip OA features, and their relationship with cam morphology in younger football players may allow for the development of interventions to slow and/or prevent OA disease.

    How did I do it?

    First, I conducted two systematic reviews to understand the prevalence of early hip OA features in people (athletic and non-athletic) with and without HGP. My remaining studies were nested within an ongoing prospective study investigating change in MRI-defined joint structure in football players.2 I recruited 184 football players with long-standing HGP and a positive flexion-adduction-internal-rotation test who were participating in a semielite competition level, and 55 asymptomatic control football players. Participants underwent hip and pelvis radiographs …

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @JHeerey

    • Contributors JJH contributed to conception and design of the studies, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, writing and revising this manuscript and final approval of the article.

    • Funding This study was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Project grant (grant number 1088683).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.