High physical activity in childhood associated with larger cartilage, tibial bone area

Larger cartilage and tibial bone area has been linked to increased physical activity in childhood, according to presenters at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

“The mechanism is uncertain, but I would contend that bone area gets larger to cope with the extra demands put on it by higher levels of physical activity, and then this leads to more cartilage, as cartilage covers the surface of the bone,” Graeme Jones, MD, PhD, professor of rheumatology and epidemiology at Menzies Research Institute in Hobart, Tasmania, stated in a press release.

After adjusting for body mass index, age, gender and joint injury history, Jones and colleagues found that childhood leg and hand muscle strength, physical work capacity at 170 beats per minute, sit-ups and long and short runs were significantly associated with increased tibial bone area 25 years later.

The researchers used T-1-weighted fat-suppressed MRI to measure dominant knee cartilage and tibial bone area volume, according to the abstract. Participants were selected from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health Study in 1985 and childhood measurements were recorded with standard protocols for the time period.

Jones said that while the study results promoted increased physical activity, he stressed that bone and cartilage are still susceptible to damage later on in life.

“Physical activity is good, but if people have an injury while doing the physical activity, this is bad,” he said. “Avoiding a high body mass index is also important and physical activity will help with this.”

Reference:

Anthony BSE. Paper #2535. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting; Nov. 10-14, 2012; Washington D.C.

Disclosure: The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.