Life After Sport: Prior Injury and Sedentary Behavior as Mechanisms of Later Poor Health

NCT05344001 | Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 3967DP5OD031833
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 450
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Competitive sport increases risk for musculoskeletal injury (e.g., traumatic knee injury) and may position former athletes for early onset of chronic diseases, chronic pain, poor health-related quality of life, and disability. Quantifying function in former athletes with and without a prior injury and non-athlete controls is critical to understanding long-term health trajectories in athletes and informing potential interventional studies. One modifiable factor that may be associated with long-term health in athletes is physical activity patterns. The purpose of this study is to evaluate strength, function, physical activity, dietary patterns, and cardiometabolic health among current and former competitive athletes and in nonathlete controls to evaluate the impact of prior knee injury and sedentary behavior as two potential determinants of later poor health and reduced function.

Conditions

Aging; Athletic Injuries; Physical Inactivity; Knee Injuries and Disorders

Keywords

Sports Medicine; Injury; Athlete; Sport; Physical Activity; Function; Health; Knee

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• 30-Second Chair Stand Test (primary outcome for Aim 1)

  Physical function (functional performance) will be evaluated using the 30-Second Chair Stand Test, 6-Minute Walk Test, and Stair Climb Test. The 30-Second Chair Stand Test uses a standard height chair and requires the participant to stand up and sit down as many times as possible in 30 seconds. More completions indicate better physical function.

  Baseline

• Sedentary Behavior (primary outcome for Aim 2)

  Physical activity will be monitored continuously using an accelerometer worn for 2 weeks. Physical activity will be classified throughout the day as sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous using established algorithms. The primary outcome for aim 2 is the mean percentage of waking hours in sedentary behavior.

  Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Strength

  Baseline

• Body Composition

  Baseline

• Step Counts

  Baseline

• Cardiovascular Disease Risk

  Baseline

• 6-Minute Walk Test

  Baseline

Study Arms (5)

Midlife former athletes with a prior knee injury

Inclusion Criteria: Age 40-64 years. Prior participation in a collision, contact, or jumping/cutting/pivoting sport (e.g., baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, etc.) at the collegiate varsity level for at least 1 season; history of at least 1 prior traumatic knee injury including but not limited to ACL or PCL rupture and/or reconstruction, medial and/or lateral meniscus tear or surgery, osteochondral defect, and/or intra-articular (i.e., tibiofemoral or patellofemoral) fracture. Exclusion Criteria: Neurologic (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative disease that impairs function; current pregnancy; lower extremity joint replacement (e.g., hip or knee replacement).

Midlife former athletes without a prior major lower extremity injury

Inclusion Criteria: Age 40-64 years. Prior participation in a collision, contact, or jumping/cutting/pivoting sport (e.g., football, baseball, basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, etc.) at the collegiate varsity level for at least 1 season. Exclusion Criteria: Neurologic (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative disease that impairs function; current pregnancy; lower extremity joint replacement (e.g., hip or knee replacement); prior major lower extremity injury (e.g., ACL tear, Achilles tendon rupture, compound ankle or femur fracture, hip dislocation).

Midlife controls

Inclusion Criteria: Age 40-64 years. Exclusion Criteria: Prior participation in a collegiate varsity sport or professional sport; neurologic (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative disease that impairs function; current pregnancy; lower extremity joint replacement (e.g., hip or knee replacement); prior major lower extremity injury (e.g., ACL tear, Achilles tendon rupture, compound ankle or femur fracture, hip dislocation).

Young adult athletes

Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-25 years. Participation in a collision, contact, or jumping/cutting/pivoting sport (e.g., baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, etc.) at the varsity collegiate level. Exclusion Criteria: Neurologic (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative disease that impairs function; current pregnancy; lower extremity joint replacement (e.g., hip or knee replacement).

Young adult controls

Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-25 years. Exclusion Criteria: Prior or current participation in any collegiate varsity sport; prior major lower extremity injury or surgery (e.g., ACL tear, Achilles tendon rupture, compound ankle or femur fracture, hip dislocation); current participation in competitive sport (e.g., collegiate club sport) more than 3x/week; joint replacement in the lower extremity (i.e., knee or hip replacement); current pregnancy; or neurologic condition (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative condition that impairs function.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 64 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Current and former collegiate varsity athletes with and without a prior history of traumatic knee injury and matched non-athlete controls.

You may not qualify if:

• Age 18-25 years OR age 40-64 years
• Current or former collegiate varsity athlete OR non-athlete control
• Neurologic (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's) and/or degenerative disease that impairs function
• Pregnancy
• Lower extremity joint replacement (e.g., hip or knee replacement)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Marquette University: lead
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Marquette University

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53233, United States

RECRUITING

Related Links

• Official website of the Life After Sport Trajectories (LAST) Lab at Marquette University.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Athletic Injuries; Sedentary Behavior; Knee Injuries; Disease; Wounds and Injuries; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Leg Injuries; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Jacob J. Capin, DPT, PhD, MS

  Marquette University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jacob J. Capin, DPT, PhD, MS

CONTACT

414-288-7865; jacob.capin@marquette.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 12, 2022
• First Posted: April 25, 2022
• Study Start: April 18, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Last Updated: February 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

US (1)