Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of bone in sport

Abstract

Background. The quantitative examination of bone tissue is primarily associated with the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is rarely suspected among athletes, usually young, active, and generally healthy. Quantitative research of bone tissue related to the sport has a preventive dimension. Increasing the parameters of bone tissue strength, especially reaching the maximum value of peak bone strength in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood due to practicing sports can contribute to maintaining bone health throughout life. The study was designed to review and narratively analyze the impact of sports activity on bone mass using quantitative ultrasound bone assessment. Material and methods. Extensive electronic research has been conducted to identify scientific papers using ultrasonic methods to evaluate bones in sports. The study was conducted using the PRISMA method (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses). Searching and downloading articles were done electronically. The narrative strategy of the review was implemented step by step. Results. Five hundred and twenty-nine results were identified. After reading the full texts, there are 12 articles left. Relevant articles were found in the references of selected articles and added to the analysis. Selected articles were selected to be presented in the results, and the rest were used for discussion. Higher bone density and strength are often found in active sporting groups compared to non-athlete peer groups. The influence of physical activity is observed, especially in strength or strength sports of both sexes. Football, dance, and martial arts such as karate and tai chi practice positively affect bone tissue. Such an impact is not noted in disciplines such as swimming and cycling. Conclusions. Systematic and long-term sports behaviors affect not only the improvement of the condition of bone tissue but also the long-term maintenance of the achieved improvement in the condition of the skeleton. It remains open to determine which sports disciplines lead to the most noticeable improvement in the condition of the ultrasound-examined bone. Further studies using non-invasive methods of bone quantification are needed to determine the specific conditions for the prevention of osteoporosis through physical activity and sport, in particular, the duration of the activity, the size of loads, and other factors related to practicing sports.