Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/a-1810-6774
Modelling Changes in Bone and Body Composition Over a Season in Elite Male Footballers
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/sportsmed/202208/lookinside/thumbnails/9302_10-1055-a-1810-6774-1.jpg)
Abstract
This study investigated the change in bone and body composition characteristics of elite football players and recreationally active control participants across the course of a season. Fortysix participants (20 footballers and 26 recreationally active controls) were assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography for a range of bone and body composition characteristics at four points over the course of a competitive season. Multilevel modelling was used to examine changes. Footballers had higher characteristics than controls for 24 out of 29 dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography variables (all p<0.05). However, there was also significant random inter-individual variation in baseline values for all variables, for both footballers and controls (p < 0.05). Wholebody bone mineral density, leg and whole-body bone mineral content, tibial bone mass and area (38%) increased across the season in footballers (p < 0.05), and there was significant random inter-individual variation in the rate of increase of leg and whole-body bone mineral content (p<0.05). Whole-body bone mineral density, leg and whole-body bone mineral content, tibial bone mass and area (38%) increased over the course of the season in elite football players. The modelling information on expected changes in bone characteristics provides practitioners with a method of identifying those with abnormal bone response to football training and match-play
Publication History
Received: 14 October 2021
Accepted: 14 March 2022
Article published online:
06 May 2022
© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Georg Thieme Verlag
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart,
Germany
-
References
- 1 Weidauer L, Eilers M, Binkley T. et al. Effect of different collegiate sports on cortical bone in the tibia. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2012; 12: 68-73
- 2 Nilsson M, Ohlsson C, Odén A. et al. Increased physical activity is associated with enhanced development of peak bone mass in men: A five-year longitudinal study. J Bone Miner Res 2012; 27: 1206-1214
- 3 Creighton DL, Morgan AL, Boardley D. et al. Weight-bearing exercise and markers of bone turnover in female athletes. J Appl Physiol(1985) 2001; 90: 565-570
- 4 Krustrup P, Aagaard P, Nybo L. et al. Recreational football as a health promoting activity: a topical review. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010; 20: 1-13
- 5 Hagman M, Helge EW, Hornstrup T. Bone mineral density in lifelong trained male football players compared with young and elderly untrained men. J Sport Health Sci 2018; 7: 159-168
- 6 Varley I, Hughes DC, Greeves JP. et al. Increased training volume improves bone density and cortical area in adolescent football players. Int J Sports Med 2017; 38: 341-346
- 7 Vicente-Rodriguez G, Jimenez-Ramirez J, Ara I. et al. Enhanced bone mass and physical fitness in prepubescent footballers. Bone 2003; 33: 853-859
- 8 Scott A, Khan KM, Duronio V. et al. Mechanotransduction in human bone: in vitro cellular physiology that underpins bone changes with exercise. Sports Med 2008; 38: 139-160
- 9 Ekstrand J, Torstveit MK. Stress fractures in elite male football players. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2012; 22: 341-346
- 10 Johnston TE, Dempsey C, Gilman F. et al. Physiological factors of female runners with and without stress fracture histories: A Pilot Study. Sports Health 2020; 12: 334-340
- 11 Alway P, Peirce N, King M. et al. Lumbar bone mineral asymmetry in elite cricket fast bowlers. Bone 2019; 127: 537-543
- 12 Duckham RL, Brooke-Wavell K, Summers GD. et al. Stress fracture injury in female endurance athletes in the United Kingdom: A 12-month prospective study. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2015; 25: 854-859
- 13 Kraus E, Tenforde AS, Nattiv A. et al. Bone stress injuries in male distance runners: Higher modified female athlete triad cumulative risk assessment scores predict increased rates of injury. Br J Sports Med 2019; 53: 237-242
- 14 Varley I, Stebbings G, Williams AG. et al. An investigation into the association of bone characteristics and body composition with stress fracture in athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2021; 61: 1490-1498
- 15 Warden SJ, Edwards WB, Willy RW. Optimal load for managing low-risk tibial and metatarsal bone stress injuries in runners: The science behind the clinical reasoning. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2021; 51: 322-330
- 16 McNaughton SA, Wattanapenpaiboon N, Wark JD. et al. An energy-dense, nutrient-poor dietary pattern is inversely associated with bone health in women. J Nutr 2011; 141: 1516-1523
- 17 Tagliaferri C, Wittrant Y, Davicco MJ. et al. Muscle and bone, two interconnected tissues. Ageing Res Rev 2015; 21: 55-70
- 18 Popp KL, Hughes JM, Smock AJ. et al. Bone geometry, strength, and muscle size in runners with a history of stress fracture. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009; 41: 2145-2150
- 19 Avin KG, Bloomfield SA, Gross TS. et al. Biomechanical aspects of the muscle-bone interaction. Curr Osteoporos Rep 2015; 13: 1-8
- 20 Brotto M, Bonewald L. Bone and muscle: Interactions beyond mechanical. Bone 2015; 80: 109-114
- 21 Tenforde AS, Carlson JL, Sainani KL. et al. Lower trabecular bone score and spine bone mineral density are associated with bone stress injuries and triad risk factors in collegiate athletes. PM R 2021; 13: 945-953
- 22 Weidauer L, Minett M, Negus C. et al. Odd-impact loading results in increased cortical area and moments of inertia in collegiate athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 2014; 114: 1429-1438
- 23 Milanese C, Cavedon V, Corradini G. et al. Seasonal DXA-measured body composition changes in professional male soccer players. J Sports Sci 2015; 33: 1219-1228
- 24 Ammann P, Rizzoli R. Bone strength and its determinants. Osteoporos Int 2003; 14: 13-28
- 25 Minett MM, Binkley TB, Weidauer LA. et al. Changes in body composition and bone of female collegiate soccer players through the competitive season and off-season. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2017; 17: 386-398
- 26 Milanese C, Cavedon V, Corradini G. et al. Long-term patterns of bone mineral density in an elite soccer player. Front Physiol 2021; 12: 631543
- 27 Rasbash J, Steele F, Browne WJ. et al. A User’s Guide to MLwiN. Bristol, UK. 2017
- 28 Norcross J, Van MD. Validation of fan beam dual energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition assessment in adults aged 18-45 years. Br J Sports Med 2004; 38: 472-476
- 29 Ward LC, Dyer JM, Byrne NM. et al. Validation of a three-frequency bioimpedance spectroscopic method for body composition analysis. Nutrition 2007; 23: 657-664
- 30 Jenkins MA, Hart NH, Rantalainen T. et al. Reliability of upper-limb diaphyseal mineral and soft-tissue measurements using peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT). J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2018; 18: 438-445
- 31 Feingold A. Confidence interval estimation for standardized effect sizes in multilevel and latent growth modeling. J Consult Clin Psychol 2015; 83: 157
- 32 Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. New York, NY: Routledge Academic; 1988
- 33 Hart NH, Nimphius S, Weber J. et al. Musculoskeletal asymmetry in football athletes: A product of limb function over time. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 1379-1387
- 34 Hart NH, Nimphius S, Rantalainen T. et al. Mechanical basis of bone strength: influence of bone material, bone structure and muscle action. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2017; 17: 114-139
- 35 Scott JP, Sale C, Greeves JP. et al. The role of exercise intensity in the bone metabolic response to an acute bout of weight-bearing exercise. J Appl Physiol(1985) 2011; 110: 423-432
- 36 Harley JA, Hind K, O’Hara JP. Three-compartment body composition changes in elite rugby league players during a super league season, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. J Strength Cond Res 2011; 25: 1024-1029
- 37 Varley I, Greeves JP, Sale C. Seasonal difference in bone characteristics and body composition of elite speed skaters. Int J Sports Med 2019; 40: 9-15
- 38 Coady CM, Micheli LJ. Stress fractures in the pediatric athlete. Clin Sports Med 1997; 16: 225-238
- 39 Riggs BL, Melton LJ, Robb RA. et al. Population-based study of age and sex differences in bone volumetric density, size, geometry, and structure at different skeletal sites. J Bone Miner Res 2004; 19: 1945-1954
- 40 Ranson CA, Burnett AF, Kerslake RW. Injuries to the lower back in elite fast bowlers: acute stress changes on MRI predict stress fracture. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2010; 12: 1664-1668
- 41 Carling C, Orhant E. Variation in body composition in professional soccer players: inter-seasonal and intra-seasonal changes and the effects of exposure time and player position. J Strength Cond Res 2010; 24: 1332-1339
- 42 Lago-Peñas C, Rey E, Lago-Ballesteros J. et al. Seasonal variations in body composition and fitness parameters according to individual percentage of training completion in professional soccer players. Int J Sports Med 2013; 14: 205-215
- 43 Oliva-Lozano JM, Fortes V, Krustrup P. et al. Acceleration and sprint profiles of professional male football players in relation to playing position. PLos One 2020; 6: 15