Exercise Physiology, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Nov;44(11):2199-204. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318260dbc1.
Decreased intervertebral disc (IVD) volume can result in diminished load-carrying capacity of the spinal region. Although moderate-intensity running is generally advocated for apparently healthy adults, running causes a loss in stature that is thought to reflect IVD compression. The aim of this investigation was to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify the influence of moderate-intensity treadmill running on IVD height and volume in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the vertebral column.
A clinic-based repeated-measures design was used in eight healthy young asymptomatic adults. After preliminary measurements and familiarization (day 1), participants reported to the clinic on two further occasions. MRI scans and stature measurements were completed at baseline (day 2), preexercise (day 3), and after 30 min of moderate-intensity treadmill running (postexercise, day 3). Mean height and volume were derived for all thoracic and lumbar IVDs from digitized MRIs, and stature was determined with a stadiometer.
Moderate-intensity running resulted in 6.3% ± 0.9% reduction in mean IVD height and 6.9% ± 1.0% reduction in calculated IVD volume. The day-to-day variation in mean IVD height and volume were 0.6% ± 0.6% and 0.4% ± 0.6%, respectively.
This is the first study to quantify the influence of moderate-intensity running on IVD height and volume. Changes in IVD height and volume were observed throughout the thoracic and lumbar vertebral regions. These findings suggest that future studies evaluating the influence of various loading activities and recovery techniques on IVD structure should consider thoracic as well as lumbar regions of the spine.
椎间盘（IVD）体积减小会导致脊柱区域的承载能力降低。虽然中等强度的跑步通常被提倡用于明显健康的成年人，但跑步会导致身高降低，这被认为反映了 IVD 的压缩。本研究旨在使用磁共振成像（MRI）来量化中等强度跑步机跑步对胸椎和腰椎区域 IVD 高度和体积的影响。
采用基于诊所的重复测量设计，纳入 8 名健康的年轻无症状成年人。在初步测量和熟悉（第 1 天）后，参与者在另外两天前往诊所。MRI 扫描和身高测量在基线（第 2 天）、运动前（第 3 天）和 30 分钟中等强度跑步机跑步后（第 3 天）进行。从数字化 MRI 中得出所有胸椎和腰椎 IVD 的平均高度和体积，并用测高仪确定身高。
中等强度跑步导致平均 IVD 高度降低 6.3%±0.9%，计算的 IVD 体积降低 6.9%±1.0%。平均 IVD 高度和体积的日常变化分别为 0.6%±0.6%和 0.4%±0.6%。
这是第一项量化中等强度跑步对 IVD 高度和体积影响的研究。在胸椎和腰椎区域均观察到 IVD 高度和体积的变化。这些发现表明，未来评估各种加载活动和恢复技术对 IVD 结构影响的研究应考虑脊柱的胸椎和腰椎区域。
