Effects of backhand stroke styles on bone mineral content and density in postmenopausal recreational tennis players: a cross-sectional pilot investigation

Abstract

Background One-handed backhand (OB) and two-handed backhand (TB) styles are commonly used in tennis, but only TB generates loadings on the non-dominant arm and a greater extension torque on the rear leg, leading to a greater axial torque involving rotation of the hip and trunk. The current study investigated whether those effects can further affect bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in postmenopausal recreational tennis players. Methods BA, BMC and BMD of the lumbar spine, hip and distal radius were assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in TB, OB, and swimmers’ group as a control (SG) (all participants self-reported for at least 5 years of exercise history, n = 14 per group). Muscular strength was assessed with a hand dynamometer. Among these three groups, the BA, BMC and BMD of distal radius and muscle strength were assessed using one-way ANOVA, and those of the lumbar region and the hip joint were tested by one-way ANCOVA. Results TB showed higher BMC and BMD for both lumbar spine and femoral neck than SG (all, p < 0.05). Both OB and TB showed greater BMD inter-trochanter than SG (both, p < 0.05). OB demonstrated greater inter-arm differences in the distal radius, which involved 1/3 distal for BMC and mid-distal radius for BMD compared to the TB and SG (all, p < 0.05). In addition, greater inter-arm asymmetry of grip strength was found in OB compared to TB and SG (both, p < 0.05). Conclusion For postmenopausal women, performing two-handed backhand strokes, leads to higher BMC and BMD in the non-dominant arm, the lumbar region, and hips, indicating potential benefit to maintain bone health and strength. Whether this result leads to reducing the risk of osteoporosis needs to be investigated in further research.

The Relationship Between Reproductive Hormones with bone mineral density and bone mineral content in a rapidly aging population

“…The BMC serologic index test is a quick and simple way to assess changes in bone metabolism balance over a short period of time, as demonstrated by studies [21,22] . Monitoring the bone metabolic status of postmenopausal women is crucial for early prevention of osteoporosis, which is facilitated by BMC [23,24] . To eliminate any possible interfering variables, factors such as body mass index, tobacco use, level of education, smoking habits, family income-to-poverty ratio, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, overall cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, serum phosphorus, serum sodium, and serum calcium were excluded.…”