@article{oai:tau.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000013,
 author = {Koyama, Koji and Nakazato, Koichi and Min, Seok-Ki and Gushiken, Koji and Hatakeda, Yoshiaki and Seo, Kyoko and Hiranuma, Kenji},
 issue = {3},
 journal = {The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine},
 month = {Aug},
 note = {Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that gymnasts have a high prevalence of radiological
abnormalities, such as intervertebral disk degeneration (IDD) and anterior limbus vertebra (ALV). These 2 abnormalities may coexist
at the same spinal level. However, the relationship between IDD and ALV remains unclear.

Hypothesis: A significant relationship exists between IDD and ALV in Japanese collegiate gymnasts.

Study Design: Case-control study.

Methods: A total of 104 Japanese collegiate gymnasts (70 men and 34 women; age, 19.7 + 1.0 years) with 11.8 + 3.6 years of
sporting experience participated. T1- and T2-weighted MRIs were used to evaluate ALV and IDD.

Results: The prevalence among the gymnasts of IDD and ALV was 40.4% (42/104) and 20.2% (21/104), respectively. The
prevalence of IDD was significantly higher in gymnasts with ALV than those without ALV, as determined using the chi-square test.
Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between IDD and ALV (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 6.60; 95%
confidence interval [CI], 2.14-20.35). IDD was further grouped by whether it was present in the upper lumbar region (L1-2, L2-3,
and L3-4 disks) or in the lower lumbar region (L4-5 and L5-S1 disks). Upper IDD had a greater association with ALV (adjusted
OR, 33.17; 95% CI, 7.09-155.25) than did lower IDD (adjusted OR, 6.71; 95% CI, 1.57-28.73).

Conclusion: In Japanese collegiate gymnasts, ALV is a predictor of IDD, especially in the upper lumbar region.
Clinical Relevance: Information regarding ALV is important to prevent IDD in Japanese collegiate gymnasts.

Keywords: endplate lesion; gymnastics; intervertebral disk degeneration; magnetic resonance imaging},
 title = {Anterior Limbus Vertebra and Intervertebral Disk Degeneration in Japanese Collegiate Gymnasts},
 volume = {1},
 year = {2013},
 yomi = {コヤマ, コウジ}
}