Recent literature proves a distinct correlation between sporting activity and the development of osteoarthritis (OA). In a disease affecting millions of people worldwide this is an important and ever growing field of interest. Sports has the potential to be a positive but also negative impact factor in OA development, depending on the intensity and the level of professionalism of sporting activity. Due to the importance of muscular stability in the development of OA this is also a reasonable approach for the treatment of already established OA in the elderly.
In many different types of sports, professional athletes show higher rates of radiographic OA signs, however, clinically these patients complain of not more, sometimes even less pain than the average population with similar signs of OA. Concerning foot and ankle some sports lead to premature OA like soccer, rock climbing and beach volleyball. Joint involving trauma is an important risk factor, especially in professional athletes.
In contrast to the development of OA trough sports, in the elderly with established OA some kind of sports seem to have at least short time positive effects on pain and function.
In conclusion, sports can either influence the development of OA (depending on the intensity and the kind of sports) or show positive clinical effects in cases with present OA. Sports must consequently be subdivided into different categories and carefully analyzed to determine if positive of negative effects exist regarding OA.