Completed Bones, Joints & Muscles Heart, Stroke & Blood

Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis

Funder VsArthritis Charity-funded
Recipient organisation Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Funding £2.0M
Period Jan 2018 — Jan 2023

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Professional athletes and weekend runners alike are putting their joints through repeated stress, yet doctors cannot reliably predict who will develop osteoarthritis as a result. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, and joint injuries from sport are a major cause. But the link between exercise, injury, and long-term joint health remains poorly understood. This research centre aims to close that gap by studying athletes, recreational exercisers, and patients over time. The team will track risk factors, test conservative treatments such as physiotherapy and bracing, and measure how joint problems affect people’s quality of life—not just physically, but psychologically and socially. If successful, the work could give clinicians clear tools to identify who is most at risk after a sports injury, and offer evidence-based ways to keep people active without accelerating joint damage. That would change how sports medicine and primary care manage joint health, potentially delaying or preventing the need for joint replacement surgery in thousands of active people each year. The research is applied and patient-focused, with direct implications for how exercise is prescribed and how injuries are managed.

View original technical description
Working with athletes, recreational exercisers and patients we are working to enhance our understanding of the effects of sport, exercise and injury on musculoskeletal health and OA. Our multidisciplinary research group, supported by national and international collaborators, have initiated new cohorts and worked with existing resources to advance our understanding of post-traumatic OA, and the effects of sport and physical activity on joint health. During the next 5 years we will capitalise on these achievements to answer 3 fundamental questions, which align with the charity’s objectives: Can we identify risk factors and phenotypes that predict the onset and progression of symptomatic OA in athletes and exercisers? (WP1 - Prevent) What is the effectiveness of conservative interventions for the prevention and management of OA to enable lifelong physical activity? (WP2 - Care) How can we identify the effects of sport and exercise on the quality of life for those at risk of, or currently living with OA: physical, psychological and social wellbeing? (WP3 - Transform) Our research builds on strengths in translational research, using an integrated multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with other Arthritis Research UK Centres, public/patient partners, industry and sport to improve the prevention and/or management of OA.

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Researchers

Mark Batt (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research
Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthrosis
Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre of Excellence
Developing new tests and treatments to enable prevention of osteoarthritis.
Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Versus Arthritis - Better lives, Safer journey

Original classification

Centre of Excellence

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.