Professional football players who suffer injuries to their hips, knees and ankles are more likely to develop risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to a study written by a University of Virginia researcher.
Players with injuries who develop osteoarthritis are even more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease, the study shows. That may be the result of decreased physical activity caused by the discomfort and pain of the injuries and arthritis, the study suggests.
The study is by Christopher Kuenze of the UVA School of Education and Human Development’s Department of Kinesiology and is part of the NFL-LONG program, an ongoing study that investigates neurologic function for NFL players during their careers and after retirement. The program funds a series of studies with hopes of finding ways to prevent or treat neurological problems in former NFL players.
“The big finding was that players who had had an injury along with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, are more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors when compared to players who had had either an injury or no lower extremity injury during their career,” Kuenze said. “The surprise was that cardiac risk factors were more prevalent in players who just had an injury to their hip, knee or ankle when they played but no diagnosis of [osteoarthritis]. Even without arthritis, the link is still there.”
The study found heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea, 30% more often in players who suffered injuries to their lower extremities. The factors were 53% more prevalent in players with both past injuries and osteoarthritis compared to those with neither injuries nor arthritis.