title: Association between adolescent sport activities and lumbar disk degeneration among young adults.
abstract: The relationship between different sport activities and lumbar intervertebral disk degeneration (DD) is largely unknown. We evaluated whether adolescent participation in different sports is associated with lumbar DD in a population-based birth cohort of young adults. A total of 558 young adults (325 females and 233 males) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 1.5-T scanner). A DD sum score, based on the Pfirrmann grading, was calculated for all lumbar levels. The sum score was categorized into no DD, 1, 2, or at least 3. Participation in different sport activities was self-reported by postal surveys at 16, 18, and 19 years, and three groups were formed based on participation frequency in 11 sports: (a) highly active (at least twice a week), (b) moderately active (2-4 times a month), and (c) inactive (maximum once a month). Cumulative odds ratios (COR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained for each sport by ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for gender, body mass index, age, socioeconomic status, smoking, and other sports. Highly active participation in jogging/running and swimming was associated with a higher DD sum score (COR: 3.0; 95% CI: 1.4-6.3 and 5.0; 1.7-15.2, respectively) compared to inactive participation, whereas highly active participation in skating showed low COR. In conclusion, running and swimming at least twice a week in early adulthood are potentially associated with lumbar DD. Follow-up studies with MRI are needed to show whether frequent exposure to running or swimming has further effect on the integrity of lumbar intervertebral disks.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takatalo
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.|Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karppinen
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Näyhä
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taimela
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niinimäki
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blanco Sequeiros
authors.affiliation: LIKES Research Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tammelin
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Center for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Auvinen
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tervonen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008161:Lumbosacral Region / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012420:Running; D013550:Swimming; D055815:Young Adult; D000067009:Youth Sports
keywords: adolescent; desiccation; exercise; intervertebral disk; lumbosacral region