[Skeleton of swimmers' hands].

The skeleton of the hand fingers was studied roentgenographically and osteometrically in swimmers 8--10 and 17--19 years of age. As the investigation demonstrated, it is necessary to take into account sports selection in order to study adaptive peculiarities of the osseous system in young sportsmen. Increasing rate in osteogenesis noted in the hand bones of swimmers 8--10 years old does not result from increasing physical loading on the hand but is a cause of the original selection of more physically suitable and biologically mature children for swimming. In order to study adaptive peculiarities of the most loaded skeletal parts in sportsmen, it is necessary to compare them rather with other sportsmen experiencing physical loading on similar skeletal parts, and differing only in the mode of performance, but not with persons nonsportsmen. Uniform lengthening of the metacarpal bones and uniform thickening of their compact substance on the radial and ulnar sides symmetrically on both hands is one of specific morphological features of the swimmers' hands adaptation to physical loadings.