Abstract
Objectives:
Vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency has been identified as a global epidemic, sparking numerous studies into its more detailed effects on the body. In orthopedics, Vit D deficiency has been found to correlate with an increase in a variety of musculoskeletal injuries. Although current evidence suggests a connection between the number of musculoskeletal injuries sustained and an athlete’s vitamin D level, this correlation has not yet been thoroughly investigated in the collegiate athlete population. We hypothesized that lower levels of serum vitamin D would be associated with an increased number of musculoskeletal injuries and increased recovery time.
Methods:
A retrospective study was performed on 285 student athletes at the authors’ institution, a Division I university (Table 1). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels obtained on each athlete via chart review in conjunction with the athletic department and categorized into normal (≥32 ng/mL), insufficient (20 to 31 ng/mL) and deficient (≤19 ng/mL). Additional data collected included demographics, athletic performance, injury history and bone density.
Results:
139/285 (48.8%) of athletes were Vit D insufficient, with an additional 50/285 (17.5%) being deficient (Table 2). For football players specifically (our largest cohort of athletes), 71/91 (78%) had a Vit D level below normal, with the average value falling at 24.5 ng/mL. For injury susceptibility, there was a 7% increase in injuries for those with a below normal Vit D. (40% vs 33%). For recovery length, athletes with a below normal Vit D took twice as long to recover (23.7 days vs 10.2 days).
Conclusions:
A large percentage collegiate athletes have insufficient or deficient levels of Vit D. Our results also suggest that a lower Vit. D level correlates to an increase in the number of musculoskeletal injuries sustained and an increase in recovery length.
