OA is a prevalent joint disease in the general population, ranging between 10 and 20 % in the male general population (from age 35 and above) in many countries [19, 23]. Among former elite athletes from various sport disciplines (ice hockey, basketball, handball, track and field athletes, power sport athletes, weight lifters, shooters and non-impact sport athletes), the prevalence of OA reaches up to 60 % for the hip and ranges from 16 to 95 % for the knee [12, 22, 23]. In our study, 33 % of the former elite athletes reported that a medical professional had diagnosed them with OA (mostly in the lower limbs), which is in accordance with the prevalence found in previous studies [9, 13, 24]. Also in our study, there was a significant association between OA and symptoms of CMD among the former elite athletes. Consequently, it seems necessary to promote the appropriate management of this joint disease in former sportsman, not only for its physical consequences such as pain, discomfort and functional impairments, but also for its consequences related to symptoms of CMD.