title: Skeletal benefits after long-term retirement in former elite female gymnasts.
abstract: Bone strength benefits after long-term retirement from elite gymnastics in terms of bone geometry and volumetric BMD were studied by comparing retired female gymnasts to moderately active age-matched women. In a cross-sectional study, 30 retired female gymnasts were compared with 30 age-matched moderately active controls. Bone geometric and densitometric parameters were measured by pQCT at the distal epiphyses and shafts of the tibia, femur, radius, and humerus. Muscle cross-sectional areas were assessed from the shaft scans. Independent t-tests were conducted on bone and muscle variables to detect differences between the two groups. The gymnasts had retired for a mean of 6.1 +/- 0.4 yr and were engaged in <or=2 h of exercise per week since retirement. At the radial and humeral shafts, cortical cross-sectional area (CSA), total CSA, BMC, and strength strain index (SSIpol) were significantly greater (13-38%, p <or= 0.01) in the retired gymnasts; likewise, BMC and total CSA were significantly greater at the distal radius (22-25%, p <or= 0.0001). In the lower limbs, total CSA and BMC at the femur and tibia shaft were greater by 8-11%, and trabecular BMD and BMC were only greater at the tibia (7-8%). Muscle CSA at the forearm and upper arm was greater by 15-17.6% (p <or= 0.001) but was not different at the upper and lower leg. Past gymnastics training is associated with greater bone mass and bone size in women 6 yr after retirement. Skeletal benefits were site specific, with greater geometric adaptations (greater bone size) in the upper compared with the lower limbs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.
authors.forename: Prisca
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eser
authors.forename: Briony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Gaele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ducher
authors.forename: Shona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bass
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006173:Gymnastics; D006801:Humans; D055815:Young Adult