Low Bone Mineral Density in Male Athletes Is Associated With Bone Stress Injuries at Anatomic Sites With Greater Trabecular Composition

While sports participation is often associated with health benefits, a subset of athletes may develop impaired bone health. Bone stress injuries (BSIs) are a common overuse injury in athletes; site of injury has been shown to relate to underlying bone health in female athletes. Hypothesis/Purpose: This case series characterizes the association of type of sports participation and anatomic site of BSIs with low bone mineral density (BMD), defined as BMD Z-score <-1.0. Similar to female athletes, it was hypothesized that male athletes who participate in running and sustain BSIs in sites of higher trabecular bone content would be more likely to have low BMD.

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Chart review identified 28 male athletes aged 14 to 36 years with history of ≥1 lower-extremity BSI who were referred for evaluation of overall bone health, including assessment of lumbar spine, hip, and/or total body less head BMD per dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. BMD Z-scores were determined via age, sex, and ethnicity normative values. Prior BSIs were classified by anatomic site of injury into trabecular-rich locations (pelvis, femoral neck, and calcaneus) and cortical-rich locations (tibia, fibula, femur, metatarsal and tarsal navicular). Sport type and laboratory values were also assessed in relationship to BMD. The association of low BMD to anatomic site of BSI and sport were evaluated with P value <.05 as threshold of significance.

Of 28 athletes, 12 (43%) met criteria for low BMD. Athletes with a history of trabecular-rich BSIs had a 4.6-fold increased risk for low BMD as compared with those with only cortical-rich BSIs (9 of 11 vs 3 of 17, P = .002). Within sport type, runners had a 6.1-fold increased risk for low BMD versus nonrunners (11 of 18 vs 1 of 10, P = .016). Laboratory values, including 25-hydroxy vitamin D, were not associated with BMD or BSI location.

Low BMD was identified in 43% of male athletes in this series. Athletes participating in sports of running and with a history of trabecular-rich BSI were at increased risk for low BMD.