Limb Preference and Limb Bone Mineral Density: an Overview of Empirical Findings

This study presents an overview of empirical findings from a systematic search of the published literature on the association between limb preference and limb bone mineral density (BMD) asymmetries. References for this review were generated by a comprehensive literature search of reliable, third-party, online, and offline published sources on the topic of the effects of upper and lower limb lateralization on limb BMD asymmetry. The data collected from all published sources portrayed a picture of considerable variation in the measurements of bilateral BMD asymmetry, since the cause of asymmetric development was not always obvious or distinct, the direction of asymmetry was not clearly determined or predictable, and the displayed bilateral variation did not concern the same bones. Findings on upper limb BMD revealed that the greater everyday use of the dominant arm provides a greater stimulus for bone formation resulting in greater BMD. Evidence on lower limbs, especially on femur, suggested that femoral BMD may be related to hand and foot preference. The results support the argument for the primacy of environmental effects in determining limb BMD bilateral asymmetry indicating that lateralized activity also affects the degree of development of asymmetries. This association between limb lateralized motor activity and bilateral skeletal asymmetry in limb BMD is the basis from which often inferences could be drawn about bone mineral distribution as a result of bone functional ada...
Source: Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research