Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Biological Sciences Building, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
J Hum Evol. 2011 Nov;61(5):609-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.08.005. Epub 2011 Sep 21.
During hominin plantigrade locomotion, the weight-bearing function of the fibula has been considered negligible. Nevertheless, studies conducted on human samples have demonstrated that, even if less than that of the tibia, the load-bearing function of the fibula still represents a considerable portion of the entire load borne by the leg. The present study assesses whether variation in habitual lower limb loading influences fibular morphology in a predictable manner. To achieve this, both fibular and tibial morphology were compared amongst modern human athletes (field hockey players and cross-country runners) and matched sedentary controls. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography was used to capture two-dimensional, cross-sectional bone images. Geometric properties were measured at the midshaft for each bone. Results show a trend of increased fibular rigidity from control to runners through to field hockey players. Moreover, relative fibular robusticity (fibula/tibia) is significantly greater in hockey players compared with runners. These results are likely the consequence of habitual loading patterns performed by these athletes. Specifically, the repeated directional changes associated with field hockey increase the mediolateral loading on the lower leg in a manner that would not necessarily be expected during cross-country running. The present study validates the use of the fibula in association with the tibia as a mean to provide a more complete picture of leg bone functional adaptations. Therefore, the fibula can be added to the list of bones generally used (tibia and femur) to assess the correspondence between mobility patterns and skeletal morphology for past human populations.
在人类类人猿跖行运动中，腓骨的承重功能被认为可以忽略不计。然而，对人类样本的研究表明，即使腓骨的承重功能不及胫骨，但它仍然承担了腿部承重的相当一部分。本研究评估了习惯性下肢负荷变化是否会以可预测的方式影响腓骨形态。为了实现这一目标，比较了现代人类运动员（曲棍球运动员和越野跑运动员）和匹配的久坐对照组的腓骨和胫骨形态。使用外周定量计算机断层扫描（pQCT）获取二维、横截面的骨骼图像。在每个骨骼的中段测量几何特性。结果表明，从对照组到跑步者再到曲棍球运动员，腓骨的刚性呈增加趋势。此外，与跑步者相比，曲棍球运动员的相对腓骨坚固性（腓骨/胫骨）显著增加。这些结果可能是这些运动员习惯性负荷模式的结果。具体来说，曲棍球中反复的定向变化以一种在越野跑中不一定会预期的方式增加了小腿的侧向负荷。本研究验证了将腓骨与胫骨结合使用作为一种手段，以更全面地了解腿部骨骼功能适应的方法。因此，腓骨可以与通常用于评估过去人类群体的骨骼形态与移动模式之间对应关系的骨骼（胫骨和股骨）一起添加到列表中。
