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Quantitative ultrasound of the tibia and radius in prepubertal and early-pubertal female athletes
Bareket Falk1, Zohar Bronshtein, Levana Zigel
1Department of Physiology, Ribstein Center for Sport Medicine Sciences and Research, Wingate Institute, Netanya 42902, Israel. bfalk@post.tau.ac.il
Background:
Physical exercise during childhood has been shown to enhance bone mineral density, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Objective:
To examine bone properties, as measured by quantitative ultrasound, in prepubertal and early-pubertal female athletes engaged in impact and nonimpact sports.
Design:
Survey.
Setting:
General community.
Participants:
Twenty-five acrobatic gymnasts, 21 swimmers, and 21 control subjects. Athletes had been training for at least 1(1/2) years.
Main Outcome Measure:
Bone speed of sound (bilateral) at the distal radius and the midtibia.
Results:
Gymnasts were significantly shorter and lighter than swimmers and control girls (P<.001) but had a body mass index similar to that of swimmers. Adiposity was lower in athletes than in controls. Speed of sound did not correlate with measures of body size. Higher mean +/- SD radial speed of sound values (nondominant side) were observed in gymnasts (3764 +/- 104 m/s; P =.045) than in swimmers and control girls (3732 +/- 99 and 3721 +/- 83 m/s, respectively). Mean +/- SD tibial speed of sound values (nondominant side) were similar in gymnasts and swimmers (3629 +/- 87 and 3619 +/- 78 m/s, respectively) and higher in the athletic groups than in the control group (3516 +/- 127 m/s; P<.001). In all 3 groups, no differences were observed between dominant and nondominant sides in the radii or tibias.
Conclusions:
Physical exercise, impact and nonimpact, is related to enhanced bone properties, as measured by quantitative ultrasound. Longitudinal studies using various modes of bone evaluation are necessary to determine the long-term effect of various types of exercise on bone properties.
