Personal Injury Law

Cyclists and Swimmers at risk for bone loss?

By Edward Bills

The low-impact nature of Cycling may not be conducive to building strong bones and high-impact exercises can ease the risks of injury.

Cyclists are no strangers to breaks and fractures, and the sport, known for its low-impact nature, may not be conducive to building strong bones.

For many cyclists, an injury offers the first sign that bones are not as strong as they should be. Although cyclists are known for staying on top of their training heart rate zones and pedal cadence, increasing research suggests they should also pay attention to their risk of thinning bones.

The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Salt Lake City routinely treats elite cyclists and they have noted that cycling athletes in their late 20s and early 30s often come in for a femur or hip fracture and they are surprised because their fall was really not that bad. The X-rays, on the other hand, show there is some osteopenia [lower-than-normal bone density].

Many factors contribute to osteopenia or osteoporosis (very low bone mineral density) in cyclists, but one of the culprits seems to be the nature of the exercise itself. Cycling is a low-impact sport that puts little mechanical load on the bones. That’s great if you have joint problems, but it’s the weight-bearing nature of exercise that signals bones to create more mass. Without such stress, bones don’t get stronger, making them more prone to injury.

Avid cyclists, as well as avid swimmers, both amateur and professional, seem to be especially at risk of bone injuries if they don’t do any type of cross-training.

Full post as published by Bodily Injury Blog on February 16, 2009 (boomark / email).