Disclosures: Christina M. Giacomazzi, DO: Nothing to disclose

Objective: To compare bone microarchitecture, mass, and geometry in collegiate running athletes versus normal controls using high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

Design: Cross-sectional Study

Setting: Stanford Outpatient Clinics

Participants: Sixteen collegiate distance runners (11 female, 5 male), ages 18-23 years underwent HR-pQCT scans of the proximal and distal radius and tibia and were compared with 56 age-matched healthy controls.

Interventions: We explored baseline characteristics of HR-pQCT including proximal and distal radius and tibia cortical area, cortical bone mineral density (BMD), cortical perimeter, cortical porosity, cortical thickness, total area, trabecular BMD, trabecular bone volume fraction, trabecular number and thickness. We compared results with 56 age-matched healthy controls from a separate normative control study. Tests for significant differences between runners and normal controls were performed via T-Tests.

Main Outcome Measures: Comparison of significant differences were defined by a P value ≤ .05 in tibia and radius bone characteristics in runners versus controls

Result: Compared to age-matched controls, runners demonstrate statistically significant increased proximal tibial cortical area (P=.0007), increased proximal tibia cortical perimeter (P =.0004), increased distal tibia trabecular BMD (P =.0006), increased distal tibia trabecular bone volume fraction (P=.001), increased distal tibia trabecular thickness (P <.0001), increased distal tibial cortical perimeter (P=.01), and decreased distal tibia cortical BMD (P =.004).

Conclusions: There are limited studies of HR-pQCT in collegiate distance runners. HR-pQCT has the added benefit of evaluating bone mass, bone geometry and bone microarchitecture. This information gives an estimate of bone quality and therefore may be a superior predictor for injury. There were significant differences in bone outcomes between collegiate runners and age-matched controls. These results suggest runners may have adaptive changes to the distal and proximal tibia due to the repetitive nature of their sport. These differences in bone microarchitecture and geometry may provide insight into predictors of future bone stress injury, but further research in runners is warranted.

Level of Evidence: Level IV

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/differences-in-bone-characteristics-between-collegiate-distance-runners-and-normal-age-matched-controls-using-high-resolution-peripheral-quantitative-computed-tomography/