Zhang Yanjing, Huang Yi, Zhang Li, Yao Wanzhen, Dai Siyu, Chen Yong, Chu Tung-Chih, Ding Jianping, Liu Jie
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
Hangzhou Institute of Sports Medicine for Marathon, Hangzhou, China.
Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2024 Aug 1;14(8):6036-6047. doi: 10.21037/qims-23-1563. Epub 2024 Apr 23.
Running has been widely recognized as a beneficial activity for improving physical fitness, but it can also increase the risk of running-related injuries (RRIs). This study aims to assess the impact of long-term running on the structural and biochemical composition of the knee.
This study recruited a total of 32 participants, including 16 male recreational runners, aged 28-49 years, with a running experience of 2-7 years, and 16 matched sedentary controls. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans of T2* mapping and three-dimensional double-echo steady-state (3D-DESS) were performed on all participants. The volumes, thickness, and T2* values of joint articular cartilage were obtained via automatic segmentation software.
Compared with the sedentary controls, runners exhibited significant increases in the volumes of both the femoral medial articular cartilage and the tibial medial articular cartilage. Additionally, there were significant increases in the thickness of several cartilage regions, including femoral medial cartilage, femoral medial articular cartilage, femoral medial thickness, femoral lateral cartilage, and tibial medial articular cartilage. Notably, the T2* values in the femoral lateral and tibial lateral cartilage of runners decreased significantly, while those in the patellar cartilage and medial tibial cartilage increased significantly. Runner pace was negatively correlated with the overall knee cartilage thickness (r=-0.556; P=0.02), femoral cartilage thickness (r=-0.533; P=0.03), and volume (r=-0.532; P=0.03) but positively correlated with the T2* value of the patellar cartilage (r=0.577; P=0.01).
Our study suggests that long-term mechanical stress from running may lead to increased thickness and volume in certain knee joint cartilage regions, possibly enhancing the functional adaptability of knee cartilage. The varying changes in T2* value in the tibial and fibular cartilage areas may indicate differing adaptability to pressure.
跑步已被广泛认为是一项有益于提高身体素质的活动，但它也会增加与跑步相关损伤（RRIs）的风险。本研究旨在评估长期跑步对膝关节结构和生化组成的影响。
本研究共招募了32名参与者，包括16名年龄在28 - 49岁之间、有2 - 7年跑步经验的男性业余跑步者，以及16名相匹配的久坐不动的对照者。对所有参与者进行了T2* 映射和三维双回波稳态（3D - DESS）的磁共振（MR）扫描。通过自动分割软件获取关节软骨的体积、厚度和T2* 值。
与久坐不动的对照者相比，跑步者的股骨内侧关节软骨和胫骨内侧关节软骨体积均显著增加。此外，包括股骨内侧软骨、股骨内侧关节软骨、股骨内侧厚度、股骨外侧软骨和胫骨内侧关节软骨在内的几个软骨区域的厚度也显著增加。值得注意的是，跑步者的股骨外侧和胫骨外侧软骨的T2* 值显著降低，而髌软骨和胫骨内侧软骨的T2* 值显著增加。跑步者的配速与膝关节软骨总厚度（r = -0.556；P = 0.02）、股骨软骨厚度（r = -0.533；P = 0.03）和体积（r = -0.532；P = 0.03）呈负相关，但与髌软骨的T2* 值呈正相关（r = 0.577；P = 0.01）。
我们的研究表明，长期跑步产生的机械应力可能导致膝关节某些软骨区域的厚度和体积增加，可能增强膝关节软骨的功能适应性。胫腓软骨区域T2* 值的不同变化可能表明对压力的适应性不同。
