Elsevier

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Volume 22, Issue 11, November 2014, Pages 1840-1850
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Biochemical cartilage alteration and unexpected signal recovery in T2* mapping observed in ankle joints with mobile MRI during a transcontinental multistage footrace over 4486 km

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2014.08.001Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Summary

Objective

The effect of ultra-long distance running on the ankle cartilage with regard to biochemical changes, thickness and lesions is examined in the progress of a transcontinental ultramarathon over 4486 km.

Method

In an observational field study, repeated follow-up scanning of 22 participants of the TransEurope FootRace (TEFR) with a 1.5 T MRI mounted on a mobile unit was performed. For quantitative biochemical and structural evaluation of cartilage a fast low angle shot (FLASH) T2* weighted gradient-echo (GRE)-, a turbo-inversion-recovery-magnitude (TIRM)- and a fat-saturated proton density (PD)-weighted sequence were utilized. Statistical analysis of cartilage T2* and thickness changes was obtained on the 13 finishers (12 male, mean age 45.4 years, BMI 23.5 kg/m²). None of the nine non-finisher (eight male, mean age 53.8 years, BMI 23.4 kg/m²) stopped the race due to ankle problems.

Results

From a mean of 17.0 ms for tibial plafond and 18.0 ms for talar dome articular cartilage at baseline, nearly all observed regions of interest (ROIs) of the ankle joint cartilage showed a significant T2*-signal increase (25.6% in mean), with standard error ranging from 19% to 33% within the first 2500 km of the ultra-marathon. This initial signal behavior was followed by a signal decrease. This signal recovery (30.6% of initial increase) showed a large effect size. No significant morphological or cartilage thickness changes (at baseline 2.9 mm) were observed.

Conclusion

After initial T2*-increase during the first 2000–2500 km, a subsequent T2*-decrease indicates the ability of the normal cartilage matrix to partially regenerate under ongoing multistage ultramarathon burden in the ankle joints.

Keywords

Cartilage
Glycosaminoglycan
Proteoglycan
Marathon
Running
Ankle

Cited by (0)