A Review of Martial Arts and Bone Health Status in Young and Older Population

Abstract

It is well known that mechanical loading imposed on a bone is important for bone development. Therefore, one of the most effective osteoporosis prevention strategies is by adopting weight-bearing physical activity. Martial arts such as judo, silat, karate, taekwondo and kickboxing are getting popular in recent years. It is generally known that bone’s optimum response and adaptation to an applied load or strain during exercise are dependent on many factors, such as characteristics of the strain, i.e. static versus dynamic strain, strain magnitude, strain rate, strain frequency or duration, and distribution of the strain stimulus. It has been reported that martial arts are physical activities which can impose loads on the bone with their high and unusual distributed strains and subsequently increase bone health status of an individual. This article discusses the relationship between bone health and physical activity, types and characteristics of martial arts, and effects of various types of martial arts on bone health in young and older population.