Effect of Rhythmic Gymnastics on Volumetric Bone Mineral Density and Bone Geometry in Premenarcheal Female Athletes and Controls

Context and Objective: Weight-bearing exercise during growth exerts positive effects on the skeleton. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that long-term elite rhythmic gymnastics exerts positive effects on volumetric bone mineral density and geometry and to determine whether exercise-induced bone adaptation is associated with increased periosteal bone formation or medullary contraction using tibial peripheral quantitative computed tomography and bone turnover markers. Design and Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study at a tertiary center. Subjects: We studied 26 elite premenarcheal female rhythmic gymnasts (RG) and 23 female controls, aged 9–13 yr. Main Outcome Measures: We measured bone age, volumetric bone mineral density, bone mineral content (BMC), cortical thickness, cortical and trabecular area, and polar stress strength index (SSIp) by peripheral quantitative computed tomography of the left tibia proximal to the distal metaphysis (trabecular) at 14, 38 (cortical), and 66% (muscle mass) ...