BONE MINERAL DENSITY MEASURES IN COLLEGE FEMALE ATHLETES PARTICIPATING IN WEIGHTBEARING VS. NONWEIGHTBEARING SPORTS

Abstract

Reduced total body and regional bone mineral density threatens both the quantity and quality of life of women by predisposing them to osteoporosis and subsequent fractures. Past research has demonstrated that women participating in high impact, weight bearing physical activity often experience favorable bone remodeling due to their athletic participation. In contrast, women participating in non-weightbearing physical activity may experience these phenomena to a lesser degree. PURPOSE: To examine bone mineral density (BMD; g/cm2) measures in female intercollegiate athletes currently participating in a variety of weightbearing (WB; n = 13) versus non-weightbearing (NWB; n = 11) sports. METHODS: Total body and regional bone scans were performed on twenty-four female athletes using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; Lunar DPX-IQ). Group mean comparisons were used to compare BMD measures of athletes participating in WB versus NWB sports. RESULTS: Significant (p < 0.05) BMD differences (mean ± SE) were found at the proximal femur (1.173 ± 0.039 WB, vs 1.059 ± 0.025 NWB) and femoral neck (1.199 ± 0.038 WB, vs 1.092 ± 0.018 NWB) regions. No significant BMD differences were found for the total body (1.241 ± 0.020 WB, vs 1.197 ± 0.013 NWB), spine (1.254 ± 0.039 WB, vs 1.171 ± 0.026 NWB), and forearm (0.376 ± 0.020 WB, vs 0.353 ± 0.006 NWB) regions. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that BMD parameters of the proximal femur were significantly greater in female athletes participating in WB versus NWB sports. This study supports previous findings suggesting that the proximal femur is a likely skeletal region to find BMD differences due to type of physical activity participation.