MRI Findings of Bone Marrow Edema in a Division I NCAA Women’s Soccer Team During a Competitive Season

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of BME (Bone Marrow Edema) at the knee joint over the course of a competitive soccer season, and the effect of a recovery period on the prevalence of BME. METHODS: A convenience sample of Division I female collegiate soccer players between the ages of 18 and 22 years of age were recruited for participation in this study. The bilateral tibiofemoral joints of 18 subjects were imaged at baseline (one week prior to start of preseason training), post-season (one week after the season conclusion) and post-recovery (3 months after post-season). All examinations were performed by an experienced MRI technologist, using a 1.5-T MRI unit, and were read by an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist and orthopedic surgeon/sports medicine physician. The Knee Osteoarthritis Scoring System (KOSS) rating scale was used for scoring. RESULTS: Pairwise contrasts between time periods resulted in a significant difference between preseason and post season (p=.028) as well as postseason and recovery (p-.016). 29% of knees were found to have BME at baseline, 47% post-season, and 23% post-recovery demonstrating that bone marrow edema was found to be significantly more widespread in the same population after a competitive soccer season CONCLUSION: BME is occasionally found in asymptomatic athletes however, the clinical significance and time course of development is poorly understood. To date, no study has tracked a female athletic population over the course of a competitive season to assess the incidence of BME. Our findings suggest the BME prevalence increases in response to repetitive high impact loading. Future research needs to determine if there is a link between BME and injury risk.