This prospective cohort study (Alberta PrEOA) compared fat mass (FM) changes over 24 months between 106 sport-injured youth (≤4 months post-injury) and 80 uninjured youth (mean age 16±2 years, 62% female), using bioelectrical impedance at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
No meaningful difference in FM gain was found between injured and uninjured youth over 24 months (difference: 0.1 kg, 95% CI: −0.6 to 0.9), with similarly non-significant differences at all time points; no differences by injury type (ACL vs. other) or sex.
Single-cohort design limits generalizability; follow-up extends only 2 years, while PTOA risk and obesity divergence may emerge later; bioelectrical impedance is less precise than gold-standard body composition methods.
The early post-injury period (first 2 years) appears to be a viable window to intervene on adiposity before divergence occurs — clinicians caring for injured youth athletes should proactively address weight and physical activity during rehabilitation, not wait for weight gain to appear.
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