The Effect of Terrain on Entheseal Changes in the Lower Limbs

“

This paper tests the hypothesis that higher biomechanical loading during skeletal development can reduce the chance of entheseal change presence. To test this entheseal change frequencies from previously published papers were compared in rugged and flat terrain. In general the results support this hypothesis, with individuals living in rugged terrain having a lower frequency of entheseal changes. Limitations of this approach are also discussed and include: small samples sizes, effect of ageing, different lifeways, lack of standard reporting for entheseal changes.

”