Vertebral body anomalies on bone density scans in younger and older retired rugby players: the UK Rugby Health project

Lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral density measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) may be abnormally elevated by conditions in or around the spine. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry recommends excluding vertebrae if there is a focal structural abnormality (FSA) affecting some but not all of the scanned vertebrae, or if there is a T-score discrepancy (>1.0 SD difference in bone density between adjacent vertebrae). Anomalies can include osteoarthritis and degenerative changes, and fracture which have previously been reported in retired rugby players (Hind et al., 2014; Davies et al., 2017).
Source: Journal of Clinical Densitometry - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research