Bone mass in lifetime tennis athletes
A. L. Huddleston, D. Rockwell, D. N. Kulund and R. B. Harrison
The effects of physical exercise on the status of bone mineralization for a
population of lifetime athletes were investigated. The bone mineral content
of the radii of experienced male tennis players was measured. The bone mass
of the radius of the playing arm (mean, 1.37 g/cm) was greater than that of
the nonplaying arm (mean, 1.23 g/cm) in all but one person. The results
were compared with data for a nonathletic (normal) population. The quantity
of bone mineral present in the playing arms of the athletic population was
greater than that of the dominant arms of nonathletes, which suggests that
playing tennis during a lifetime may produce a localized increase in bone
mineralization that is greater than that found in nonathletes.
