A study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found ethnic differences in the bony hip morphology of professional male soccer players.
The researchers identified 445 professional male soccer players for analysis. Their ethnic makeup included Arabic (59 percent), black (24 percent), Persian (7 percent), white (6 percent), East Asian (2 percent) and other (2 percent).
Here's what you need to know:
1. The prevalence of cam deformity had a significant range among the ethnic groups. Large cam deformity was prevalent in whites (33.3 percent) compared with blacks (17.8 percent); East Asians had a particularly low prevalence (18.8 percent).
2. The prevalence of acetabular dysplasia ranged from 8 percent to 16.7 percent among the ethnic groups, aside from whites, who had a particularly low prevalence of only 1.9 percent.
3. The prevalence of pincer deformity was uncommon in all ethnicities.
The researchers conclude that "there may be ethnic differences in both acetabular morphology and femoral bony response to athletic load." These findings may be significant for physicians to consider, since bony hip morphology is a risk factor for the development of hip osteoarthritis.