Key result
Playing sport while injured is linked to ~86% higher odds of osteoarthritis and persistent joint pain.
Why the study?
The implications of playing sport while injured on joint health and health-related quality of life had not been investigated.
Does playing sport while injured worsen health-related quality of life, osteoarthritis, and joint pain in cricketers?
Cross-Sectional (n=2,233)
Does playing sport while injured worsen health-related quality of life, osteoarthritis, and joint pain in cricketers?
Playing sport while injured is associated with long-term impaired health-related quality of life, increased odds of osteoarthritis, and persistent joint pain in cricketers.
Playing injured was associated with worse HRQoL, OA, and joint pain in cricketers; leaves open whether avoiding play when injured improves outcomes.
Background: Sports participants are faced with the decision to continue or cease play when injured. The implications of playing sport while injured on joint health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between having played sport while injured and HRQoL, osteoarthritis, and persistent joint pain; and compare findings in elite and recreational cricketers . Methods: The Cricket Health and Wellbeing Study cohort was used for this study. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years, played ≥1 cricket season. Questionnaire data collected included a history of playing sport injured, SF-8 (physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores), physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, and persistent joint pain (most days of the last month). Multivariable linear regressions and logistic regressions were performed. Continuous covariates were handled using fractional polynomials. Models were adjusted for age, sex, cricket-seasons played, playing status, joint injury, and orthopaedic surgery. All participants (n=2,233) were included in HRQoL analyses, only participants aged ≥30 years (n=2,071) were included in osteoarthritis/pain analyses. Results: Of the 2,233 current and former cricketers (mean age: 51.7 SD 14.7, played 30 IQR 24 cricket seasons, 60% were current cricketers, 62% played recreationally; median PCS: 51.4 IQR 9.0; MCS: 54.3 IQR 8.6) 1719 (77%) had played sport while injured. People who had played sport injured reported worse adjusted PCS (Effect(95% CI): -1.78(-2.62, -0.93) and MCS (-1.40(-2.25, -0.54), had greater odds of osteoarthritis (adjusted OR(95% CI): 1.86(1.39, 2.51) and persistent joint pain (2.34(1.85, 2.96)), compared to people who had not played sport injured. Similar relationships were observed regarding PCS, osteoarthritis and pain in elite and recreational subgroups. Playing injured was only related to worse MCS scores for elite cricketers (-2.07(-3.52, -0.63)); no relationship was observed in recreational cricketers (-0.70(-1.79, 0.39)). Conclusion: Cricketers that had played sport injured had impaired HRQoL, increased odds of osteoarthritis and persistent joint pain, compared to those who had not played sport injured. Playing sport injured was only related to impaired mental-components of HRQoL in elite cricketers. The long-term impact of playing injured, should be considered when advising athletes on their ability to compete.
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Bullock et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Current and former cricketers (n=2,233). Playing sport while injured vs. Not playing sport while injured was evaluated on Physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.39-2.51). Playing sport while injured was associated with significantly increased odds of physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis (OR 1.86) and persistent joint pain compared to not playing injured.
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