Sport Activity Load and Skeletomuscular Robustness in Elite Youth Athletes

Abstract

In an earlier report, bone mineral reference values for young athletes were developed. This study addressed variations in bone mineral parameters of young athletes participating in sports with different mechanical loads. The bone mineral status of 1793 male and female athletes, 11 to 20 years of age, in several sports was measured with DEXA. Specific bone mineral parameters were converted to z-scores relative to age- and sex-specific reference values specified by the DEXA software. Z-score profiles and principal components analyses were used to identify body structural components in the young athletes and to evaluate the associations between the identified component and type of sport defined by mechanical load. A unique skeletomuscular robusticity of male wrestlers, pentathletes, and cyclists was noted: wrestlers had significantly more developed skeletomuscular robusticity and bone mineral density compared to the age-group average among elite athletes, while pentathletes and cyclists had lower bone mineral parameters than the age-group references among elite athletes. Among female athletes, bone mineral parameters of both the trunk and extremities of rhythmic gymnasts and pentathletes were significantly lower compared to the age-group means for elite athletes. The bone mineral development of elite young athletes varies with the impact forces associated with their respective sports. The skeletal development of cyclists, pentathletes, and rhythmic gymnasts should be monitored regularly as their bone development lags behind that of their athlete peers and the reference for the general population.

Mental Health Among Elite Youth Athletes: A Narrative Overview to Advance Research and Practice

“…Our preliminary scan of the literature uncovered broad age ranges across studies explicitly describing "EYAs" with participants ≤12 or ≥20 years old. 53,101,138 There are issues at both the upper and lower bounds of this age range (10-25 years) classified as youth, when it comes to meaningful translation into competitive sport. At the younger boundary, we must seriously consider how early is too early to be considered as "elite," 57 particularly given that early specialization is not linked with additional performance benefits and may in fact lead to worse psychosocial and injury-related outcomes.…”

“…Our preliminary scan of the literature uncovered broad age ranges across studies explicitly describing “EYAs” with participants ≤12 or ≥20 years old. 53 , 101 , 138 …”