Body proportions according to stature groups in elite athletes

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate whether body proportions change as stature increases in elite Spanish athletes. The sample includes a total of 2,030 participants, comprised of 1,357 adult males, and 673 adult females. The male athletes were classified into five groups by stature, and the female athletes were classified separately into four stature groups. Ten anthropometric measurements were collected, and eleven body proportions were calculated. The body proportions with significant differences between stature groups in males were relative arm length (0.53–1.60%), relative forearm length (0.69–2.08%), relative thigh length (1.17–1.56%), relative tibial length (1.37–6.39%), cormic index (−0.94 – −4.49%), Manouvrier index (1.60–9.60%), and crural index (1.05–4.79%). In females, the body proportions with significant differences were relative forearm length (1.43%), relative thigh length (1.94–3.88%), relative tibial length (2.74–4.56%), cormic index (−0.74 – −3.72%), and Manouvrier index (1.97–8.71%). The distal parts of the upper and lower limbs increase proportionally as stature increases, whereas relative hand and foot lengths, which are the most distal parts of the extremities, remain constant in elite athletes.

KEYWORDS:

• Human anatomy
• anthropometry
• allometry
• limb proportions

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Alicia Canda who shared anthropometric data from the evaluations made at the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) in Madrid, and Dr. Vicky Pons who shared data from the Center d’Alt Rendiment (CAR) in Sant Cugat in Barcelona.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Compliance with ethical statement

The project was approved by Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Sports Administration of Catalonia with the reference number 12/2015/CEICEGC.

Author contributions

Study concept and design: Gonzalo Saco-Ledo, Jordi Porta.

Methodology: Gonzalo Saco-Ledo, Jordi Porta.

Supervision: Jordi Porta.

Interpretation of data: Gonzalo Saco-Ledo, Jordi Porta, Tesla Monson, Izzet Duyar.

Drafting of the manuscript: Gonzalo Saco-Ledo, Tesla Monson, Izzet Duyar.

Statistical analysis: Gonzalo Saco-Ledo.

Critical revision of the manuscript: Jordi Porta, Tesla Monson, Marianne Brasil, Izzet Duyar.

Approval of the final version of the manuscript: All authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.