Detailed MRI evaluation of the spine: a 2-year follow-up study of young individuals reporting different training doses

Objective To characterize the discs and vertebrae in detail over time in a group of adolescent individuals with varying training doses using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Method Thirty-five students were recruited from regular high schools (n=13) as well as schools with athlete competitive skiing programmes (n = 22). The thoraco-lumbar spine of all individuals was examined at baseline and at 2-year follow-up using the same 1.5T scanner and imaging protocol. The individuals were grouped based on their reported training dose: low-to-normal training dose (<= 5 h/week, n = 11, mean age 16.5 +/- 0.5 years) and high training dose (>5 h/week, n = 24, mean age 17.2 +/- 0.6 years.)Results At baseline, the signal intensity in the discs and vertebrae were significantly lower in individuals reporting high compared to low-to-normal training dose. The vertebral signal changed significantly over the 2-year period in both groups. However, only individuals reporting low-to-normal training dose displayed an overall disc signal change. Interestingly, the regional analysis displayed at baseline high annular signals in the more training-active individuals followed by a reduction over the two-year period.Conclusion This study suggests that disc degeneration is manifested earlier in individuals reporting a higher training dose. Over a 2-year period, however, the degeneration process did not accelerate further. Also, a significant difference in the vertebral signal, at baseline and follow-up as well as over time, could be seen between groups of individuals reporting high versus low-to-normal training dose.