Structural and mechanical adaptation of immature bone to strenuous exercise.

To investigate the adaptive responses of immature bone to increased loads, young (3-wk-old) White Leghorn roosters were subjected to moderately intense treadmill running for 5 or 9 wk. The training program induced significant increases in maximal O2 consumption and muscle fumarase activity in the 12-wk-old birds, demonstrating that growing chickens have the ability to enhance their aerobic capacity. The structural and mechanical properties of the runners' tarsometatarsus bones were compared with sedentary age-matched controls at 8 and 12 wk of age. Suppression of circumferential growth occurred with exercise at both ages, whereas exercise enhanced middiaphysial cortical thickening, especially on the bones' concave surfaces. Although cross-sectional area moments of inertia did not change with exercise, significant decreases in bending stiffness, energy to yield, and energy to fracture were observed. It was concluded that strenuous exercise may retard long-bone maturation, resulting in more compliant bones.