Alpine skiing is associated with large skeletal loads with distinct patterns of loading rate and direction, and alpine skiers were previously found to have a robust bone structure compared to normally active controls. However, it is not known whether the mechanical stimuli experienced by skiers are also associated with enhanced bone microarchitecture and strength. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) to compare bone macro- and microarchitecture and bone strength between elite alpine skiers and normally active controls. Participants included 7 female and 12 male members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, and 10 female and 16 male normally active control subjects. A whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was performed to measure lean mass and percent body fat. HR-pQCT (XtremeCT, Scanco) was used to assess bone macro- and microarchitecture including total, cortical and trabecular bone area, total and cortical bone mineral density (BMD), and bone volume ratio (BV/TV) of the dominant distal tibia and radius. Finite element analysis was applied to the HR-pQCT scans to estimate bone strength (failure load, N). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare outcomes between groups adjusting for body weight (tibia) and height (tibia and radius).Purpose
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