ABSTRACT
Tennis is an asymmetric sport that imposes a high mechanical load on the tissues of the dominant arm and as a consequence, adaptive changes take place increasing the muscle and bone mass, as well as the strength of the dominant arm (Jacobson et al., 1984; Pirnay et al., 1987; Tsuji et al., 1995). This sport offers a model for studying the adaptability of both the skeletal and the soft-tissue of the upper-limbs to physical stress, using the non-dominant arm as a control. From pioneer studies using single photon absorptiometry, it is well known that bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) increase in the dominant arm of tennis players of different ages and levels (Jones et al., 1977; Huddlestone et al., 1980; Montoye et al., 1980; Tsuji et al., 1995). Since these studies were carried out, important changes have been introduced in racket designs and grip techniques, which in turn might influence the adaptive changes (Kibler et al., 1988). Moreover, the degree of bone enhancement that professional tennis players might produce, and to what extent osteoformation acts through the growth of bone (bone hypertrophy) or through the increase of mineralization are still unkown.
