Risk Factors for Lumbar Disc Degeneration in High School American Football Players A Prospective 2-Year Follow-up Study

Background:Several risk factors have been proposed for intervertebral disc degeneration (DD) among adolescent athletes. However, the causes of DD are not well understood, and there have been few prospective studies evaluating DD in adolescents.Purpose:To identify risk factors for DD among adolescent American football (AF) players.Study Design:Cohort study (prevalence); Level of evidence, 2.Methods:This study investigated the relationships between the progression of DD and the following factors: lumbar spine abnormalities on baseline radiographs, body mass index, AF position played (lineman or other), and length of playing career (2 full competitive AF seasons or <2 seasons). Included were 192 students who joined a top-ranked high school AF team from 2004 to 2008. Of these, 160 played for 2 full competitive AF seasons. The remaining 32 players, who stopped before completing 2 seasons, were used as a control group. Baseline radiographs and lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained when the...