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. 2022 Apr 21;19(9):5083.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095083.

Sport Activity Load and Skeletomuscular Robustness in Elite Youth Athletes

Irina Kalabiska  1 , Annamaria Zsakai  2 , Dorina Annar  2 , Robert M Malina  3 , Tamas Szabo  1   4
Affiliations

Sport Activity Load and Skeletomuscular Robustness in Elite Youth Athletes

Irina Kalabiska et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

In an earlier report, bone mineral reference values for young athletes were developed. This study addressed variations in bone mineral parameters of young athletes participating in sports with different mechanical loads. The bone mineral status of 1793 male and female athletes, 11 to 20 years of age, in several sports was measured with DEXA. Specific bone mineral parameters were converted to z-scores relative to age- and sex-specific reference values specified by the DEXA software. Z-score profiles and principal components analyses were used to identify body structural components in the young athletes and to evaluate the associations between the identified component and type of sport defined by mechanical load. A unique skeletomuscular robusticity of male wrestlers, pentathletes, and cyclists was noted: wrestlers had significantly more developed skeletomuscular robusticity and bone mineral density compared to the age-group average among elite athletes, while pentathletes and cyclists had lower bone mineral parameters than the age-group references among elite athletes. Among female athletes, bone mineral parameters of both the trunk and extremities of rhythmic gymnasts and pentathletes were significantly lower compared to the age-group means for elite athletes. The bone mineral development of elite young athletes varies with the impact forces associated with their respective sports. The skeletal development of cyclists, pentathletes, and rhythmic gymnasts should be monitored regularly as their bone development lags behind that of their athlete peers and the reference for the general population.

Keywords: DEXA; bone mineral; elite athletes; skeletomuscular robusticity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Z profile (mean of z-scores) of structural parameters in male athletes; BMC in grams and fat and muscle mass in kilograms were expressed as a percentage of height in meters.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Z profile (mean of z-scores) of structural parameters in female athletes; BMC in grams and fat and muscle mass in kilograms were expressed as a percentage of height in meters.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of PC scores by component (PC 1 on the x-axis and PC 2 on the y-axis) among youth athletes by sport (□ and ○: sport type mean and 95% confidence ellipse around the mean).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Median z-scores of BMC (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Median z-scores for muscle mass (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Median z-scores for muscle mass (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Median z-scores for fat mass (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Median z-scores for fat mass (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 7
Figure 7
BMD of upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) expressed as a percentage of total BMD by age in youth male and female athletes (Mann–Whitney test: UE—p < 0.05 in 13, 14, and 19 years of age; Tr—p < 0.05 in 13, 14, and 16 years of age; Le—p < 0.05 in the entire interval).
Figure 7
Figure 7
BMD of upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) expressed as a percentage of total BMD by age in youth male and female athletes (Mann–Whitney test: UE—p < 0.05 in 13, 14, and 19 years of age; Tr—p < 0.05 in 13, 14, and 16 years of age; Le—p < 0.05 in the entire interval).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Median z-scores for BMD (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Median z-scores for BMD (expressed as a percentage of stature) of the upper extremities (UE), trunk (Tr), and lower extremities (LE) in youth athletes by sport.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Median L1–L4 BMD z-scores estimated by sport by using the GE Prodigy Lunar reference and the youth athlete reference (Kalabiska et al. 2020); linear regressions: males p < 0.001, R2 = 0.991, intercept = −0.59, females p < 0.001, R2 = 0.999, intercept = −1.14).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Median L1–L4 BMD z-scores estimated by sport by using the GE Prodigy Lunar reference and the youth athlete reference (Kalabiska et al. 2020); linear regressions: males p < 0.001, R2 = 0.991, intercept = −0.59, females p < 0.001, R2 = 0.999, intercept = −1.14).
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