Background:The long-term prognosis of jumper's knee and whether structural changes in the patellar tendon persist is unknown.Purpose:To investigate whether limitations in knee function and structural changes persisted beyond the athletic career of young elite volleyball players.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:Volleyball players (mean ± SD age, 18 ± 0.8 years) enrolled in 2006-2011 in a prospective cohort study were invited in 2020-2022 to a follow-up study. Participants rated their knee function with the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment–Patellar Tendon (VISA-P) score (baseline and follow-up) and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score (follow-up) and reported if jumper's knee had influenced their decision to retire from sport. Tendon thickness and structural changes were assessed with ultrasound (baseline) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (follow-up) of both patellar tendons.Results:We included 138 of 143 former athletes (97%) 11.4 ± 1.6 years after their baseline examination. At baseline, 37 persons (52 knees) had developed jumper's knee. At follow-up, participants reported lower knee function scores in knees diagnosed with jumper's knee at baseline than healthy knees (VISA-P scores: jumper's knee, 81 [95% CI, 70-92]; healthy, 90 [95% CI, 86-94]; P < .001; IKDC scores: jumper's knee, 82 [95% CI, 75-89]; healthy, 92 [95% CI, 91-95]; P < .001). Jumper's knee problems directly caused 7 of the 37 athletes (19%) with jumper's knee at baseline to retire from competitive volleyball. Of the 138 players included, 97 (70%) completed a bilateral MRI examination (194 knees). At follow-up, 38 of the 54 abnormal tendons (70%) had no structural changes ( P < .001 vs baseline) while 22 of the 140 normal tendons (16%) had developed structural changes. Clinical symptoms were not correlated with tendon structure at follow-up (VISA-P scores for normal tendons: 85 [95% CI, 73-87]; abnormal: 89 [95% CI, 85-92]; P = .48).Conclusion:Jumper’s knee is not a self-limiting condition; volleyball players who had developed jumper's knee during adolescence reported persistent reductions in knee function 11 years later, leading one-fifth to retire from competitive volleyball. Although approximately 70% of tendons with structural changes at baseline were normal at follow-up, there was no clear relationship between structure and function.

中文翻译：

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年轻精英排球运动员髌腱病（跳投膝）的长期预后：基线后 11 年肌腱变化


背景： 跳线膝的远期预后以及髌腱的结构变化是否持续尚不清楚。目的： 探讨膝关节功能和结构变化的限制是否在年轻精英排球运动员的运动生涯之后持续存在。研究设计： 队列研究;证据水平， 2.方法： 2006-2011 年参加前瞻性队列研究的排球运动员 （SD 年龄平均 ± 18 ± 0.8 岁） 于 2020-2022 年被邀请参加一项随访研究。参与者使用维多利亚运动评估研究所髌腱 （VISA-P） 评分（基线和随访）和国际膝关节文献委员会 （IKDC） 评分（随访）对他们的膝关节功能进行评分，并报告跳投膝是否影响了他们退役的决定。通过超声 （基线） 和磁共振成像 （MRI） （随访） 评估肌腱厚度和结构变化。结果： 我们纳入了 143 名前运动员中的 138 名 （97%） 基线检查后 11.4 ± 1.6 年。在基线时，37 人 （52 个膝关节） 患上了跳线性膝。在随访中，参与者报告说，基线时被诊断为跳线膝的膝关节功能评分低于健康膝关节（VISA-P 评分：跳线膝，81 [95% CI，70-92];健康，90 [95% CI，86-94];P < .001;IKDC 评分：跳投膝，82 [95% CI，75-89];健康，92 [95% CI，91-95];P < .001）.跳投膝问题直接导致 37 名跳投膝在基线时有 7 名运动员 （19%） 退出竞技排球比赛。在纳入的 138 名球员中，97 名 （70%） 完成了双侧 MRI 检查（194 个膝盖）。随访时，54 例异常肌腱中有 38 例 （70%） 无结构改变 （ P < .001 与基线），而 22 条正常肌腱中有 140 条（16%）发生了结构变化。随访时临床症状与肌腱结构无关 （正常肌腱的 VISA-P 评分：85 [95% CI，73-87];异常：89 [95% CI，85-92];P = .48）。结论： 跳投膝不是一种自限性疾病;在青春期患上跳投膝的排球运动员在 11 年后报告膝关节功能持续下降，导致五分之一的人退出竞技排球。尽管基线时大约 70% 的肌腱结构变化在随访时是正常的，但结构和功能之间没有明确的关系。