Abstract

The aim of this study is to present a new approach to sport medicine. Comparative analysis of the Vertebrae Lumbales was done in sedentary group and Muay Thai athletes. It was done by acquiring three dimensional (3-D) data and models through photogrammetric methods from the Multi-detector Computerized Tomography (MDCT) images of the Vertebrae Lumbales sections in male Muay Thai athletes and the sedentary (control) group. 5 male Muay Thai athletes and 5 male sedentary individuals from Ordu Province participated in this study. The Vertebrae Lumbales of 5 male Muay Thai athletes and 5 sedentary (control group) participants were scanned with high-resolution MDCT devices. The resulting 2-D axial images were transferred to CD-ROMs in DICOM format and then to a PC installed with 3D-Doctor 5.0, a three dimensional modeling software. Reconstruction of the data was conducted via the 3-D rendering component of this software. All measurements were automatically calculated via the aforementioned software and Mann Whitney-U test analysis technique. SPSS 15.0 statistical package programme was used for statistical analyses. The statistical results of the vertebrae lumbales showed significant differences (P<0.05) in L1 volume (mm³), in terms of statistical aspect, in both Muay Thai athletes and sedentary participants. Meanwhile, the biometric measurements showed a more significant deformation only in the L1 segment of the Vertebrae Lumbales. Consequently, it was expected that these kinds of researches will contribute to the development of infrastructure work to be conducted on Muay Thai athletes using the MDCT technique and to the appreciation of the need for the involvement of 3-D Reconstruction Procedures in Sports Medicine.

Key words: Sports medicine, athletes, three-dimensional reconstruction.