College Varsity Athletes Research Articles

Nutrition Information Sources of College Varsity Athletes

Nutrition Information Sources of College Varsity Athletes

The Ocular Complications of Boxing

In cooperation with the New York State Athletic Commission, 74 boxers applying for a new or yearly renewal license were sequentially referred over a 2-year period for a complete dilated ocular examination at the Sports Vision Institute of the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. At least one ocular injury was found in 66% of boxers. Vision-threatening injuries, defined as significant damage to the angle, lens, macula, or peripheral retina occurred in 58% of boxers. Nineteen percent of boxers had angle abnormalities. Nineteen percent of boxers had pathologic cataracts, over 70% of these were posterior subcapsular. Six boxers had macular lesions. A total of 24% of boxers had retinal tears. Standardized photographs were used to distinguish pathologic cataracts from congenital opacities and pathologic retinal tears from atrophic holes. Attempts were made to identify risk factors in boxing that might be predictive for ocular injury. Variables included age, weight division, left- or right-handedness, total number of losses, and total number of bouts. Significant correlations were found between the total number of bouts and the total number of losses, and the presence of retinal tears. College varsity athletes were selected as controls. Significant differences were found between boxers and controls for the total number of injuries, total vision-threatening injuries, and the number of retinal tears. A series of recommendations are proposed to aide in the early detection and prevention of serious ocular injuries.

The Effect of Running on the Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis of the Hips and Knees

Former college varsity athletes were surveyed by questionnaire to determine if long-distance running can be implicated as a factor in the future development of osteoarthritis of the hips and knees. Subjects were divided into two groups. One group consisted of 504 former varsity cross-country runners. A control group consisted of 287 college swimmers. Follow-up periods ranged from two to 55 years, with a mean of 25 years. In former runners there was a 2% incidence of severe pain of the hips and knees. In former swimmers there was an incidence of 2.4%. Additionally, 2.1% of swimmers eventually had had a surgical procedure for relief of pain. Only .8% of runners eventually required surgery for osteoarthritis. There is no association between moderate long-distance running and the future development of osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that neither heavy mileage nor the number of years running are contributory to the future development of osteoarthritis.