Muscle forces or gravity: What predominates mechanical loading on bone?: Introduction

Abstract

This paper describes the background, rationale, significance and objective of the recent American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) symposium entitled "Muscle Forces or Gravity-What Predominates Mechanical Loading on Bone?" (55th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, May 28, 2008) and introduces a series of papers representing the positions taken by three of the speakers at that symposium. Our goal is to reinvigorate discussion on a topic that will inform many, provoke some and, most importantly, stimulate ideas that will encourage progress in the field of exercise prescription for bone.