A recent study of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes at a single institution aimed to assess the relationship between pre collegiate surgery (high school and earlier) and subsequent injury requiring surgery.
1141 athletes were identified for analysis, and of these, 186 athletes (16.3%) had a history of precollegiate orthopaedic surgery. There were 261 documented intracollegiate orthopaedic surgeries in 181 athletes (15.9%). Precollegiate knee surgery was an independent predictor of orthopaedic surgery in college. When examining only surgeries resulting from acute or primary injuries, precollegiate knee surgery was an independent predictor of primary knee injury requiring surgery in college. Athletes with a history of precollegiate surgery were more susceptible to subsequent surgery in their ipsilateral extremity compared with their other extremities.
The study concluded precollegiate knee surgery in Division I athletes is associated with subsequent injury requiring surgery in college. And athletes with a history of precollegiate surgery are at higher risk of subsequent surgery in their ipsilateral extremity compared with other extremities.
Source: American Journal of Sports Medicine, published online March 28, 2016
