Data were analysed using the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 for OS X. Descriptive data analyses (mean, standard deviation, frequency, range) were calculated for all variables in this study, including the frequency of participants that reported OA and symptoms of CMD. Univariate logistic regression analyses (expressed as odds ratio OR and related 95 % CI) were used to explore whether former elite athletes who suffered from OA (dichotomous independent variable) were more likely to report (simultaneously) symptoms of CMD (dichotomous dependent variables) than former elite athletes who did not suffer from OA (non-causal association). Under the assumption of at least 58 participants within a particular sport, similar univariate logistic regression analyses were conducted within each subgroup for sports, which met this criterion . In accordance with a sample size calculation for testing the relationship between independent and dependent variables (N > 50 + 8 m where m is the number of independent variables), sample size of at least 58 participants was needed . With regard to the five subgroups, i.e. five sports involved in our study, we strived to recruit a total sample size of minimum 290 participants (minimum 58 per sport) .