Prevalent Morphometric Vertebral Fractures in Professional Male Rugby Players

Hind, Karen; Birrell, Fraser; Beck, Belinda R.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097427

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…Whereas obesity is characterised by excess fat mass (2,3), the high BMI of the elite rugby players reflects a substantial component of lean mass, as demonstrated in the current study and others (4,5,13). Unlike fat mass, which provides only indirect biomechanical advantage, lean mass exerts an additional direct and positive influence on bone (14)(15)(16)(17).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Insights Into Relationships Between Body Mass, Composition and Bone: Findings in Elite Rugby Players

Hind

Gannon

Brightmore

et al. 2015

Journal of Clinical Densitometry

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Recent reports indicate that bone strength is not proportional to body weight in obese populations.Elite rugby players have a similar body mass index (BMI) to obese individuals, but differ markedly with low body fat, high lean mass and frequent skeletal exposure to loading through weight-bearing exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between body weight, composition and bone strength in male rugby players characterised by high BMI and high lean mass.Fifty two elite male rugby players and 32 non-athletic, age-matched controls differing in BMI ; p=0.02) received one total body and one total hip DXA scan. Hip Structural Analysis of the proximal femur was used to determine bone mineral density (BMD) and cross-sectional bone geometry. Multiple linear regression was computed to identify independent variables associated with total hip and femoral neck BMD and HSA-derived bone geometry parameters. Analysis of covariance was used to explore differences between groups. Further comparisons between groups were performed after normalising parameters to body weight and to lean mass. There was a trend for a positive fat-bone relationship in rugby players, and a negative relationship in controls, although neither reached statistical significance. Correlations with lean mass were stronger for bone geometry (r 2 =0.408-0.520) than for BMD (r 2 =0.267-0.293).Relative to body weight, BMD was 6.7% lower in rugby players than controls (p<0.05). Rugby players were heavier than controls, with greater lean mass and BMD (p<0.01). Relative to lean mass, BMD was 10-14.3% lower in rugby players (p<0.001). All bone geometry measures except cross-sectional area, were proportional to body weight and lean mass. To conclude, BMD in elite rugby players was reduced in proportion to body weight and lean mass. However, their superior bone geometry suggests that overall bone strength may be adequate for loading demands. Fat-bone interactions in athletes engaged in high impact sports require further exploration.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Insights Into Relationships Between Body Mass, Composition and Bone: Findings in Elite Rugby Players

Hind

Gannon

Brightmore

et al. 2015

Journal of Clinical Densitometry

Self Cite

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“…1 kg), which may affect a tackle or successful attack, although the technical elements should also be considered. The discrepancy might also increase injury risk amongst RLC players, which has recently been identified in both SL and RLC players [ 28 ]. Bone-related injury risk might also be influenced by the lower BMC in RLC players compared to SL players, representing an important avenue requiring prospective research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropometric and Three-Compartment Body Composition Differences between Super League and Championship Rugby League Players: Considerations for the 2015 Season and Beyond

et al. 2015

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Super League (SL) and Championship (RLC) rugby league players will compete against each other in 2015 and beyond. To identify possible discrepancies, this study compared the anthropometric profile and body composition of current SL (full-time professional) and RLC (part-time semi-professional) players using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). A cross-sectional design involved DXA scans on 67 SL (n=29 backs, n=38 forwards) and 46 RLC (n=20 backs, n=26 forwards) players during preseason. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare age, stature, body mass, soft tissue fat percentage, bone mineral content (BMC), total and regional (i.e., arms, legs and trunk) fat and lean mass between SL forwards, SL backs, RLC forwards and RLC backs. No significant differences in age, stature or body mass were observed. SL forwards and backs had relatively less soft tissue fat (17.5 ± 3.7 and 14.8 ± 3.6 vs. 21.4 ± 4.3 and 20.8 ± 3.8%), greater BMC (4,528 ± 443 and 4,230 ± 447 vs. 4,302 ± 393 and 3,971 ± 280 g), greater trunk lean mass (37.3 ± 3.0 and 35.3 ± 3.8 vs. 34.9 ± 32.3 and 32.3 ± 2.6 kg) and less trunk fat mass (8.5 ± 2.7 and 6.2 ± 2.1 vs. 10.7 ± 2.8 and 9.5 ± 2.9 kg) than RLC forwards and backs. Observed differences may reflect selection based on favourable physical attributes, or training adaptations. To reduce this discrepancy, some RLC players should reduce fat mass and increase lean mass, which may be of benefit for the 2015 season and beyond.

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“…In the lumbar region, compressive loading has been shown to be at a high risk of endplate fracture and, when combined with bending, may cause injury to the intervertebral disc (Adams & Hutton, 1982 , 1985a ). Furthermore, there is a relatively high prevalence of thoracic spine injuries reported in rugby forwards from T8-T12 (Hind, Birrell, & Beck, 2014 ). In the cervical spine, compression causes the loss of intervertebral disc height and resultant increased load bearing on the neural arch and uncovertebral joints (Skrzypiec et al, 2007 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A kinematic analysis of the spine during rugby scrummaging on natural and synthetic turfs

Swaminathan

Williams

Jones

et al. 2015

Journal of Sports Sciences

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Artificial surfaces are now an established alternative to grass (natural) surfaces in rugby union. Little is known, however, about their potential to reduce injury. This study characterises the spinal kinematics of rugby union hookers during scrummaging on third-generation synthetic (3G) and natural pitches. The spine was sectioned into five segments, with inertial sensors providing three-dimensional kinematic data sampled at 40 Hz/sensor. Twenty-two adult, male community club and university-level hookers were recruited. An equal number were analysed whilst scrummaging on natural or synthetic turf. Players scrummaging on synthetic turf demonstrated less angular velocity in the lower thoracic spine for right and left lateral bending and right rotation. The general reduction in the range of motion and velocities, extrapolated over a prolonged playing career, may mean that the synthetic turf could result in fewer degenerative injuries. It should be noted, however, that this conclusion considers only the scrummaging scenario.

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Prevalent Morphometric Vertebral Fractures in Professional Male Rugby Players

Cited by 14 publications

References 37 publications

Insights Into Relationships Between Body Mass, Composition and Bone: Findings in Elite Rugby Players

Insights Into Relationships Between Body Mass, Composition and Bone: Findings in Elite Rugby Players

Anthropometric and Three-Compartment Body Composition Differences between Super League and Championship Rugby League Players: Considerations for the 2015 Season and Beyond

A kinematic analysis of the spine during rugby scrummaging on natural and synthetic turfs

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