The Effects of a Single Season of Play on the Knee Cartilage Health of NCAA Football Linemen

Articular cartilage covers the ends of bones where they come together to form joints; thereby supporting the joints under applied loads and allowing a full range of motion. Cartilage has a limited ability to self-repair however, and over time, areas of localized damage, or cartilage defects, can cause pain, stiffness, and loss of functionality. Football linemen in particular are at an increased risk for knee cartilage defects and early-onset osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, the purpose of this project is to determine which factors predict or indicate changes in the knee cartilage health of NCAA football linemen over one season. 15 linemen were recruited for this study and each participated in the preseason evaluation. Only 12 of the players, however, returned for the postseason session. Each evaluation included magnetic resonance images (MRI) of each knee, 6 self-administered surveys, and walking trials in a motion capture lab. Player profiles are used to organize this information which includes quantified MRI scores, self-reported clinical assessments on quality of life, and biomechanical parameters from gait analysis from each evaluation. Of the 12 players who returned for postseason evaluation, only 8 provided complete profiles and 2 of these experienced a decline in knee cartilage health over the season. Sets of independent survey and kinematic variables were grouped and compared using a sequence of stepwise and general regression tests to determine which variables correspond to changes in cartilage health. The results of this study show the possibility of overarching trends among subjects with similar cartilage health, but a larger study could provide more conclusive information about the relationships among changes in MRI, survey scores, and gait kinematics. This study should include a larger number of participants over a number of years to fully capture the changes in self-determined well-being and movement patterns that influence changes in knee cartilage health in NCAA football linemen.No embargoAcademic Major: Mechanical Engineerin