Comparison of the radius bone density between the right and left arms of female college badminton and soft-tennis players.

Abstract

This study was carried out to clarify the ideal motion for maintaining and improving bonedensity. Radius bone density between the right and left arms of badminton and soft-tennis players, whose main operation was asymmetric, was compared. Summaries of the findings are as follows. 1) In badminton and soft-tennis players who showed dominant handedness, there was a contralateral difference in bone density. The contralateral difference rate was 3.3% in soft-tennis players, and 8.1% in the badminton players. 2) These contralateral difference were due to differences in the racket weight and the degree of shock and batting method, and these differences produced the load for the radius. 3) The contralateral differences in radius bone density in soft-tennis players was related to the contralateral differences of grip strength, duration of sports experience and technical abilities. 4) There was a close relationship between the radius bone density, the forearm girth andgrip strength, and it appeared that muscle quantity of the forearm was one of the factors which regulated the radius bone density. From the above findings, the continuation of sports using dominant arm resulted in an imbalance of the radius bone density between the non-dominant side and the dominant arm. Sports players whose main motions are asymmetric should adopt training which loads the non-dominant arm side to maintain a well-balanced radius bone density.