Association between long-term exercise loading and lumbar spine trabecular bone score (TBS) in different exercise loading groups

Objective: To examine whether different exercise loading is associated with lumbar vertebral texture as assessed with Trabecular Bone Score (TBS). Methods: Data from 88 Finnish female athletes and 19 habitually active women (reference group) were analyzed. Participants’mean age was 24.3 years(range 17-40 years).Athletes were divided into five specific exercise loading groups according to sport-specific training history: high-impact (triple jumpers and high jumpers), odd-impact (soccer players and squash players), high-magnitude (power lifters), repetitive impact (endurance runners), and repetitive non-impact (swimmers). TBS-values were determined from lumbar vertebral L1-L4 DXA images. Body…