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Bareket Falk, PhD; Zohar Bronshtein, BEd; Levana Zigel, BSc; Naama W. Constantini, MD; Alon Eliakim, MD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:139-143.

Background  Physical exercise during childhood has been shown to enhance bone mineral density, thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Objective  To examine bone properties, as measured by quantitative ultrasound, in prepubertal and early-pubertal female athletes engaged in impact and nonimpact sports.

Design  Survey.

Setting  General community.

Participants  Twenty-five acrobatic gymnasts, 21 swimmers, and 21 control subjects. Athletes had been training for at least 1 years.

Main Outcome Measure  Bone speed of sound (bilateral) at the distal radius and the midtibia.

Results  Gymnasts were significantly shorter and lighter than swimmers and control girls (P<.001) but had a body mass index similar to that of swimmers. Adiposity was lower in athletes than in controls. Speed of sound did not correlate with measures of body size. Higher mean ± SD radial speed of sound values (nondominant side) were observed in gymnasts (3764 ± 104 m/s; P = .045) than in swimmers and control girls (3732 ± 99 and 3721 ± 83 m/s, respectively). Mean ± SD tibial speed of sound values (nondominant side) were similar in gymnasts and swimmers (3629 ± 87 and 3619 ± 78 m/s, respectively) and higher in the athletic groups than in the control group (3516 ± 127 m/s; P<.001). In all 3 groups, no differences were observed between dominant and nondominant sides in the radii or tibias.

Conclusions  Physical exercise, impact and nonimpact, is related to enhanced bone properties, as measured by quantitative ultrasound. Longitudinal studies using various modes of bone evaluation are necessary to determine the long-term effect of various types of exercise on bone properties.

From the Ribstein Center for Sport Medicine Sciences and Research, Wingate Institute, Netanya (Drs Falk, Bronshtein, and Constantini and Ms Zigel), and the Department of Pediatrics, Meir General Hospital, Sapir Medical Center, Kfar Sava (Dr Eliakim), Israel.

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