IT'S A FACT

Last updated : 11 February 2003 By editor

Professional footballers are 10 times more likely to get osteoarthritis in later life than those who have never played football.

Surgeon Gordon Shepard from Royal Bolton Hospital has just published the facts in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Mr Shephard, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, sent questionnaires to every professional manager asking them about their health history.

More than 80 per cent, including Sir Alex Ferguson, of Manchester United, completed the questionnaires. The results showed that nine out of the 68 who responded already had arthritis and six had undergone hip replacement operations - with the youngest only 35 years old.

Mr Shepard said: "We were getting quite a lot of former top level football players coming in with hip injuries. Managers were a good group to isolate because they are former players and easily contactable. We could compare them with a group of men of the same ages who had not played football.It's obviously something about the nature of playing football. It could be these mysterious `groin strains' are actually hip joint injuries that gradually build up.”

"Or it could be that the type of people who become good footballers are somehow physically predisposed to arthritis."

Mr Shepard and his team, are to apply to the Professional Footballers Association for cash to conduct a wider study following players over a 10 to 15 year period.