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. 2020 Apr;28(4):1262-1269.
doi: 10.1007/s00167-018-5236-4. Epub 2018 Oct 27.

Young elite Alpine and Mogul skiers have a higher prevalence of cam morphology than non-athletes

Anna Swärd Aminoff  1   2 , Cecilia Agnvall  3 , Carl Todd  4 , Páll Jónasson  5 , Olof Thoreson  4 , Mikael Sansone  4 , Leif Swärd  4 , Jon Karlsson  4 , Adad Baranto  4
Affiliations

Young elite Alpine and Mogul skiers have a higher prevalence of cam morphology than non-athletes

Anna Swärd Aminoff et al. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of cam morphology in (1) a group of young elite Mogul and Alpine skiers compared with non-athletes and (2) between the sexes.

Method: The hip joints of 87 subjects [n = 61 young elite skiers (29 females and 32 males) and n = 26 non-athletes (17 females and 9 males)] were examined using MRI, for measurements of the presence of cam morphology (α-angle ≥ 55).

Results: The skiers had a significantly higher prevalence of cam morphology compared with the non-athletes (49% vs 19%, p = 0.009). A significant difference (p < 0.001) was also found between females and males, where 22% of the females and 61% of the males had cam morphology. Among the skiers, there was also a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the sexes, where 28% of the females and 68% of the males had cam morphology. This difference between the sexes was not found in the non-athletic group. No significant differences were found between Mogul and Alpine skiers.

Conclusion: Young male elite skiers have a higher prevalence of cam morphology of the hips compared with non-athletes.

Level of evidence: II.

Keywords: Alpine; Cam morphology; Female athletes; Femoro-acetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS); Growth zone; Hip joint; Mogul; Skiers; Young athletes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hip joint with normal morphology of the head–neck junction
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MRI examination of a male skier showing cam morphology with an α-angle above > 55° (arrow)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The α-angle is used to define the presence of cam morphology and, in this study, a threshold of > 55° has been considered relevant
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Prisma diagram presenting the participants enrolled in the present study and the MRI results concerning the presence of cam morphology among them
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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