The effect of age, sex, and physical activity on entheseal morphology in a contemporary Italian skeletal collection

Abstract

Entheseal changes are traditionally included in a large array of skeletal features commonly referred to as “skeletal markers of activity.” However, medical studies and recent anthropological analyses of identified skeletal series suggest a complex combination of physiological and biomechanical factors underlying the variability of such “markers.” The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between age, sex, physical activity, and entheseal variability. To this end, 23 postcranial entheses are examined in a large (N = 484) Italian contemporary skeletal series using standardized scoring methods. The sample comprises subjects of known age, sex and, mostly, occupation. Results show a strong relationship between age and entheseal changes. Differences between sexes are also highlighted, while the effects of physical activity appear moderate. Altogether, our study indicates that entheseal morphology primarily reflects the age of an individual, while correlation with lifetime activity remains ambiguous. Am J Phys Anthropol 148:379–388, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Accounting for multiple effects and the problem of small sample sizes in osteology: a case study focussing on entheseal changes

“…Other factors known to affect these entheses include biological sex, body size and genetic factors (Jurmain et al 2012;Weiss et al 2012;Wilczak 1998). Previous studies that have used identified skeletal collections have demonstrated that the ageing process, rather than occupation, is the primary cause of ECs (Alves Cardoso andHenderson 2010, 2013;Cardoso 2008;Milella et al 2012). However, other studies have supported the link between activity patterns and ECs (Kuorinka and Forcier 1995;Milella et al 2014;Niinimäki 2012;Niinimäki et al 2013;Shaw and Benjamin 2007).…”

Age changes of musculoskeletal stress markers and their inter-period comparisons

“…Muscle attachment areas and MSMs exhibited increasing patterns with advancing age. Milella et al (2012) investigated postcranial entheses in a large contemporary Italian skeletal series and reported a strong relationship between aging and entheseal changes. Entheseal morphology primarily reflected age, and its association with lifetime activity patterns remained ambiguous.…”

The quest for the soldier’s rest: combining anthropological and archaeochemical approaches to study social and occupational diversity in the medieval graveyard of San Andrés de Arroyo (Palencia, Spain)

“…It is widely accepted that EC reflect the effect of muscle usage throughout the course of life. However, factors such as the age (Milella et al, 2012;Henderson, 2013;Niinimäki and Baiges Sotos, 2013;Takigawa, 2014;Schrader, 2015), sexual differences due to the existing gender-based differences between endocrine and metabolic systems (Havelková et al, 2013) alongside the particular anatomy of the attachment site have been claimed to be related to the level of the EC expression (Villotte et al, 2010b;Milella et al, 2012). From a medical point of view, EC can be induced by numerous conditions, ranging from pathological to behavioural (Jurmain, 2009).…”