Information about the relative risks of knee OA as a result of sports participation is essential to help develop prevention strategies and shape public health messages, said Jeffrey Driban, Ph.D., who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Driban and his colleagues at Tufts Medical Center in Boston analyzed 16 studies that identified OA rates in elite and recreational athletes participating in a range of sports including running, soccer, and wrestling. In general, the prevalence of knee OA was 8.4% among the 3,192 athletes of any level, compared with 9.1% among the 3,485 nonathletes, Dr. Driban said.

However, the risk of knee OA is sport-specific, Dr. Driban said. Compared with nonathletes, soccer players at elite and nonelite levels were at increased risk of knee OA (relative risk, 4.4), as were elite athletes competing in distance running (3.2), weight lifting (6.4), and wrestling (3.7). Elite athletes were defined as those competing at the national, Olympic, or professional level; nonelite athletes were those competing at the recreational or scholastic level.

The results were limited by the lack of adequate data on women and injury histories for the study participants. However, the data are encouraging and suggest that knee OA risk generally is not elevated for most recreational athletes, said Dr. Driban.

"For individuals who are interested in pursuing the health benefits of physical activity, sports participation can be a healthy way of getting those benefits," Dr. Driban emphasized.

However, anyone who is especially concerned about reducing their risk for OA should opt for low-impact, noncontact sports, he said. Elite athletes in high-risk sports can take steps to reduce their risk, such as treating injuries promptly and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle when they retire from competition, he added.

Dr. Driban reported having no financial conflicts of interest.