Analysis of Patellar Tendinopathy Risk Factors Among Intercollegiate Athletes
Date
2016-08
Authors
Reisler, T. Colin
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Abstract
Context: Patellar tendinopathy has a prevalence as high as 50% among athletes involved in jumping sports such as basketball and volleyball. Despite this prevalence, patellar tendinopathy remains a challenging condition for clinicians and researchers alike due to the lack of understanding concerning its etiology. Objective: To evaluate the known and hypothesized risk factors for patellar tendinopathy among male and female NCAA intercollegiate athletes to determine which outcome measures are most predictive.
Design: Case-Control cross-sectional study. Setting: Laboratory setting. Patients or Other Participants: 60 intercollegiate athletes participated in this study (age 20.0 ± 1.2, height 178.9 ± 9.8, body mass, 79.7 ± 12.0) A 2:1 ratio of non-injured (n = 40) to injured (n = 20) was employed with participants matched on age and sex. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: Static quadriceps angle (Q-angle), body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio, and Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) score. Statistical Analysis: A Group (2) x Sex (2) MANOVA approach was used to identify differences between the case and control groups, and men and women (α = 0.05). Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression in an effort to identify independent risk factors for patellar tendinopathy. A secondary hypothesis investigated the extent to which a static Q- angle, increased BMI, higher LESS score were risk factors associated with the incidence of patellar tendinopathy (α = 0.05).
Results: MANOVA indicated that dominant and
non-dominant leg Q angle showed significant differences between the sexes. The average Q angle for female participants was 14.6 ± 3.6 deg compared to 10.1 ± 3.2 deg for male participants (P < 0.05). The LESS scores in the case group (4.4 ± 1.4 points) were nearly identical to scores in the control group (3.8 ± 1.3 points) (P > 0.05). The Cox regression analysis showed no significant increase in injury risk with the 4 factors analyzed.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Q angle, the LESS test, or BMI were not significant predictors of patellar tendinopathy. Future studies should employ prospective, longitudinal designs with larger populations. Further investigation into the LESS test as a potential screening tool for various lower extremity injuries is warranted.
Description
Keywords
Etiology, Patellar tendinitis
Citation
Reisler, T. C. (2016). Analysis of patellar tendinopathy risk factors among intercollegiate athletes (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.