A CT Image Analysis On The Structure And Morphology Of Metacarpal Bones Among Wushu Gongli Athletes

Objective: To explore the effects of Wushu gongli exercise on structure andmorphology of the hand bones and joints, the feature of metacarpal bones of this projectathlete was studied by use of imaging anatomy.Method: There were8male high-level gongli athletes whose skills were to strikeoff bricks with their hands and8sports enthusiasts served as a control. All of their handswere scanned by a spiral CT. The two/three-dimensional images of metacarpal boneswere reconstructed, and the indicators were measured.Results:1) Compared with the control group, all of the volume of2nd,3rd and4thmetacarpal of the right hand in the gongli group increased significantly (P <0.05), thevolume of5th metacarpal of the right hand in the gongli group increased significantly (P<0.01). In the gongli group, the volume of5th metacarpal of the right hand were largerthan that of the left (P <0.05).There were no difference of the relative volume betweentwo groups than the control (P>0.05).2) Compared with the control group, all of thetransverse diameter of2nd,3rd,4th and5th metacarpal of the right hand in the gongligroup increased significantly (P <0.05). In the experimental group, the transversediameter of5th metacarpal of the right hand were larger than that of the left (P <0.01).3)The cortical thickness of5th metacarpal of the right hand in gongli group were largerthan that in the control (P <0.05); The cortical thickness of4th and5th metacarpal ofthe right hand in the gongli group were larger than that of the left (P <0.05, P <0.01). Inthe gongli group, the cortical thickness ratio of5th metacarpal of the right hand werelarger than that in the control (P <0.05).4) There were no difference of the length ofmetacarpi between two groups (P>0.05).5）Compared with the control group, the metacarpal base size of2nd,3rd and4th metacarpal of the right hand in the gongligroup were all significantly increased (P <0.05), the metacarpal base size of5thmetacarpal of the right hand in the gongli group were all significantly increased (P <0.01). In the experimental group, the metacarpal base size of5th metacarpal of the righthand were larger than that of the left (P <0.05).6) The bending angle of5th metacarpalbones of the right hand in the gongli group were larger than that in the control (P <0.05),and than that of the left hand in the gongli group (P <0.05).Conclusion: Chronic and heavy stress induced by gongli power would lead to somespecific and adaptive changes about structure and morphology of the metacarpal bones.It meant that these characters of functional anatomy were involved in the huge explosiveor shearing force besides their skills.