Skeletal benefits after long-term retirement in former elite female gymnasts

Eser, Prisca; Hill, Briony; Ducher, Gaele; Bass, Shona (2009). Skeletal benefits after long-term retirement in former elite female gymnasts. Journal of bone and mineral research, 24(12), pp. 1981-8. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Blackwell 10.1359/JBMR.090521

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Bone strength benefits after long-term retirement from elite gymnastics in terms of bone geometry and volumetric BMD were studied by comparing retired female gymnasts to moderately active age-matched women. In a cross-sectional study, 30 retired female gymnasts were compared with 30 age-matched moderately active controls. Bone geometric and densitometric parameters were measured by pQCT at the distal epiphyses and shafts of the tibia, femur, radius, and humerus. Muscle cross-sectional areas were assessed from the shaft scans. Independent t-tests were conducted on bone and muscle variables to detect differences between the two groups. The gymnasts had retired for a mean of 6.1 +/- 0.4 yr and were engaged in <or=2 h of exercise per week since retirement. At the radial and humeral shafts, cortical cross-sectional area (CSA), total CSA, BMC, and strength strain index (SSIpol) were significantly greater (13-38%, p <or= 0.01) in the retired gymnasts; likewise, BMC and total CSA were significantly greater at the distal radius (22-25%, p <or= 0.0001). In the lower limbs, total CSA and BMC at the femur and tibia shaft were greater by 8-11%, and trabecular BMD and BMC were only greater at the tibia (7-8%). Muscle CSA at the forearm and upper arm was greater by 15-17.6% (p <or= 0.001) but was not different at the upper and lower leg. Past gymnastics training is associated with greater bone mass and bone size in women 6 yr after retirement. Skeletal benefits were site specific, with greater geometric adaptations (greater bone size) in the upper compared with the lower limbs.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Dermatology, Urology, Rheumatology, Nephrology, Osteoporosis (DURN) > Clinic of Rheumatology and Immunology
UniBE Contributor:	Eser, Prisca Christina
ISSN:	0884-0431
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 15:11
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2023 23:23
Publisher DOI:	10.1359/JBMR.090521
PubMed ID:	19453258
Web of Science ID:	000273216600007
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/31418 (FactScience: 195925)