•  
  •  
 

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Bilateral bone measurements of the second metacarpal, and bilateral grip strength performances were studied for 236 male participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study. The ages of the participants ranged from 25 to 95 years with a mean age of 58.6 years. The basic measurements made from radiographs were length, total width and medullary width. From the last two we calculated the combined cortical thickness, metacarpal index, cortical area and percent cortical area. The results of this study supported those of earlier reports of progressive bone loss with age, resulting from resorption at the endosteal surface. After adulthood medullary diameter is increased with age, while total bone diameter and length do not change significantly. Bilateral comparisons show consistently higher bone size and mass in the right hands. Physical stress, as determined by grip strength, was found to be correlated with total bone diameter, but was not associated with medullary diameter. Since total bone diameter does not change with age after adulthood, the association between physical stress on bone size must have its origin before adulthood is attained.

Download

Share

COinS