Injury initiates unfavourable weight gain and obesity markers in youth

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the association of knee injuries with subsequent changes in body mass index and body composition during maturation in young females. Methods A prospective longitudinal study design was employed to evaluate young females active in soccer or basketball (N=862). Participants who completed at least 1-year follow-up to provide consecutive annual measures of BMIZ and %fat were included in the study analysis to determine the effect of knee injuries on the trajectory of these obesity markers in youth. Results Of the 71 reported knee injuries, 12 (17%) occurred in athletes at the prepubertal stage, 24 (34%) in athletes at the pubertal stage, and 35 (49%) in postpubertal athletes. Controlling for the effects of maturation, female athletes who reported knee injury demonstrated a greater yearly increase in BMIZ (LS means and 95% CI for the injured group=0.039 (−0.012 to 0.089), for the non-injured group=−0.019 (−0.066 to 0.029), and group difference=0.057 (0.005 to 0.11), p=0.03) and in %body fat (LS means and 95% CI for the injured group=1.05 (0.45 to 1.65), for the non-injured group=0.22 (−0.21 to 0.064), and group difference=0.83 (0.21 to 1.45), p=0.009), compared to those without knee injuries. This indicates that the athletes with knee injuries will increase their body mass index percentile by up to 5 units more than someone of the same age without an injury, and in body fat by up to 1.5%, compared to their non-injured peers. Conclusions The present findings indicate that knee injury during the growing years may be associated with unfavourable changes in body composition.

High knee abduction moments are common risk factors for patellofemoral pain (PFP) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in girls: Is PFP itself a predictor for subsequent ACL injury?

“…19 Longitudinal data indicate knee pain and injury influences an immediate increase in BMI z-score and body fat percentage in the year of reported incidence. 88 Future research should focus on determination of the underlying pathomechanics of PFP that increase its prevalence in young growing girls to development of sex-specific and age-appropriate interventions. Based on the current report it may be speculated that effective interventions implemented at an early age could be beneficial to prevent PFP prevalence and potentially reduce future risk of ACL injury.…”

Sixty minutes of what? A developing brain perspective for activating children with an integrative exercise approach

“…Regular participation in physical education, sports and well-designed fitness programmes that integrate both health-related and skill-related fitness components may provide a mechanism to develop dynamic interceptive actions and to increase physical activity levels in youth 65 66. In sports such as baseball, for example, being able to field an infield ground ball without being distracted by a runner on base can decrease injury risk as well as enhance motor skill performance 67.…”

Long-Term Athletic Development, Part 2

“…As youth engage earlier in formal-ized sport and specialize in sport(s) at younger ages, they may be at increased risk of experiencing overuse injury ( 45). Of concern, is researchers have shown that the cycle of reduced activity after an acute injury can initiate overweight and obesity markers in youth ( 85).…”