Calcaneal mineral density in children athletes and take-off leg

It is well-known that physical activity has an anabolic effect on the bone tissue. To examine the influence of the take-off lower limb to the bone density we studied a group of prepubertal boys and girls at the initial phase of their peak bone mass acquisition. A sample consisted of 60 subjects ie., 32 soccer players (boys, 10.7±0.5 years old) and 28 swimmers (15 girls and 13 boys, 10.8±0.8 years old), who had performed at least one year of high-level sport training (10-15 hours per week for soccer players, 8-12 hours per week for swimmers). The sample was divided into two groups: the first consisted of 40 subjects, with the left take-off leg, while the second consisted of 20 subjects, with the right take-off leg. The bone mineral density (BMD) measurements of the left and the right calcaneus were performed using ultrasound densitometer 'Sahara' (Hologic, Inc., MA, USA). There were no significant differences between the groups in regard to BUA and SOS of both the left and the right take-off lower legs. Mean BUA of the take-off left leg and the take-off right leg were different, but not significantly (p>0.05). Likewise, mean SOS of the take-off left leg and the take-off right leg were different, but it was not significant (p>0.05). The results do not indicate that the take-off lower limb has an influence on calcaneal bone mineral density.