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Intensive terrestrial or marine locomotor strategies are associated with inter- and intra-limb bone functional adaptation in living female athletes.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Macintosh, Alison A  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2914-5206
Stock, Jay T 

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To systematically characterize intra-limb patterns of skeletal plasticity to loading among living women, in order to better understand regional complexity in structural adaptation within the lower limb and more accurately infer behavior in the past. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used peripheral quantitative computed tomography imaging of the femur, tibia, first and second metatarsals to quantify bone morphology among female controls and athletes representative of either terrestrial or marine mobility, grouped by loading category (odd-impact, repetitive low-impact, and high-magnitude). Parameters included midshaft bone density, areas, rigidity, and shape, epiphyseal bone densities and areas. We assessed between-group differences and the influence of training history on significant variation among the loading groups. RESULTS: Terrestrial mobility strategies were best distinguished by significant midshaft periosteal hypertrophy across the lower limb/foot relative to controls, and by particularly high midshaft femoral and tibial cortical bone areas relative to rowers. Enhanced midshaft bone area was typically paired with decreased bone density among athlete groups. Sport-specific variation in training duration/timing was significantly correlated with multiple midshaft parameters. DISCUSSION: Results demonstrate characteristic patterns of intra-limb adaptation to terrestrial and marine mobility strategies among active women relative to controls, and highlight components of these patterns that may be shaped in part by differences in loading duration/timing. Additionally, our findings support constraints on skeletal variation in the distal tibia and foot relative to more proximal locations about the knee among living women. For example, metatarsal variation was constrained, but where present reflected sport-specific variation in force distribution in the foot.

Description

Keywords

femur, functional adaptation, metatarsal, tibia, women, Adaptation, Physiological, Adult, Anthropology, Physical, Athletes, Cortical Bone, Female, Femur, Foot Bones, Humans, Locomotion, Lower Extremity, Tibia, Young Adult

Journal Title

Am J Phys Anthropol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0002-9483
1096-8644

Volume Title

168

Publisher

Wiley
Sponsorship
European Research Council (617627)
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n.617627 (JTS).