Impact of sports participation on genu varum among youth: a systematic review

Abstract Introduction Genu varum occurs more frequently among young male athletes involved in high levels of physical activity, particularly adolescent male soccer players when compared to the general population. This study provides a contemporary examination of the relationship between genu varum and participation in youth sport. Sources of data A systematic review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The literature search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases. Areas of agreement Genu varum is more prevalent among athletes than among age-matched non-athlete controls and has been reported more often in male soccer players, with overloading of the proximal medial tibial growth plate proposed as a possible contributing mechanism. Areas of controversy Intercondylar-intermalleolar distance differed in younger age groups with some reporting negative values and some reporting positive values. Growing points In recent years, there has been a marked improvement in the methods used to assess lower limb malalignment in young athletes. Clinical measures are simple but lack detail; whole-leg radiographs are increasingly used to capture these details. Areas timely for developing research The lack of longitudinal data examining changes in lower extremity alignment with sports loading during the growth period is an important deficiency of the current research. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to clarify the nature and incidence of genu varum in young athletes, including females. Furthermore, the relationship between genu varum and non-soccer sports should be investigated so the movement and loading characteristics specific to different sports need to be evaluated.