Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Physiological Reports

Volume

8

Issue

11

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Publication Date

5-30-2020

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

This case study examined the influence of a surgical metal implant on the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) readings of an athlete. Single‐frequency BIA using a tetrapolar electrode configuration was applied to both the right and left sides of a 23‐year‐old female jumper who had an 8 × 345 mm titanium alloy nail implanted in her left tibia. The metal implant reduced BIA resistance and reactance on the implanted side by 27 and 6 ohms, respectively. This reduction in impedance resulted in a 0.4 kg–1.9 kg increase in the estimate of fat‐free mass (FFM) depending on the prediction formula used. There was a concomitant decrease in the estimate of body fat percentage (%BF) with the underestimation ranging from 0.6% to 2.7% BF depending on the prediction formula. A metal implant of substantial size can alter the BIA reading. Technicians should apply BIA to the opposite side of the body when athletes present with a surgical implant in a limb.

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