[Quantitative-morphometric and functional-anatomical studies on the locomotor apparatus of athletes. IV. Discussion, resume and literature].

The locomotor system of 155 athletes from 3 athletic disciplines was examined, and the data of 20 anthropometrical measurements and the results for the corresponding disciplines were recorded subjected to a multivariate morphometrical analysis with the following aim: 1. To evaluate the morphological and functional-anatomical criteria of the locomotor system which quantified the variation differences in the body composition of the athletic groups, and which indicated a quantifiable functional-anatomical relationship between the variation in the body composition and the result in the corresponding disciplines. 2. To show the bivariate relationship between the morphological parameter and the results in the corresponding disciplines, and furthermore to evaluate the amount of result-increasing or result-decreasing components in a morphological variable. 3. To analyse the morphological variation of the 20 body composition variables and the corresponding results in the disciplines by means of factor analysis. This is achieved by the use of multivariate methods to analyse the variation in the athlete's body composition and the result-influencing-components. The following results were obtained: 1. There are partly pronounced morphological differences between the 3 athletic groups, quantified by discriminant functions. The differences in the locomotor system were reduced to 2 independent axes of variation, with one axis being identified as the general size variation between the 3 groups, and the other as the difference in the variation of the degree of strength of the musculature of the trunk and the limbs by considering the length and breadth measurements. For both canonical axes, the shotputters have above-average high canonical numbers compared to the other 2 groups. The sprinters and long jumpers show conformity in the general size variation of the locomotor system, but they differ in the second axis. Whilst in both groups the lower limbs are similarly constituted in form, shape and size, the canonical values of the trunk and the upper limbs of the sprinters are higher. In this respect, they tend more towards the shot-putter group. The morphological differences obtained for the athlete's locomotor system are functional-anatomically related to the corresponding athletic disciplines. 2. In almost every case, the regression functions for the shot-putters show an approximately linear relationship between the morphological variables and the result of the shot-putt. The quadratic and cubic regression functions only deviate slightly from the linearity, i.e. the result will be altered depending on the height and size of the body composition (within the possible range of biological variation). On the other hand, the sprinting result, either increased or decreased, is determined by a limited morphological variation of the parameter of the locomotor system...