Comparison of Bone Mineral Density of Athletes and Non-Athletes in Spinal cord Injured Veterans

The aim of this study was to assess bone mineral density (BMD) of athletes and non-athletes in spinal cord injured veterans. A total number of 34 veterans including 10 basketball players, 8 weight lifters, 5 swimmers and 11 non-athletes participated in this research. The mean ± SD age of basketball players, weight lifters, swimmers and non-athletes was 46.30 ± 5.47, 43.37 ± 2.13, 49.40 ± 5.54, and 53.27 ± 5.88 years. Using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Norland XR46 bone densitometer, Norland Corp., Atkinson, USA), BMD of femoral neck (FN), femur, and lumbar vertebrae (L2-L4) were compared between all groups. Fasting calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, serum albumin, phosphate alkaline enzyme and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were also measured. The data was analyzed at a significance level of α = 0.05 using SPSS16. There were no significant differences in BMD of lumbar vertebrae and FN between various groups. There was no significant correlation between blood contents and BMD of the measured sites, except for the creatinine. Pearson's correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between the injury period and BMD of FN (r = -0.53; P < 0.001) and lumbar vertebrae (r = -0.35; P < 0.02). This study indicated that there were no significant differences in BMD of athletes and non-athletes of spinal cord injured patients and veterans.