Introduction:
Sports activity not only improves bone mineral density (BMD), bone mass (BM), and cardiopulmonary function, but also increases an incidence of sports injuries. As a result, BMD and BM can affect sports injuries, which in turn can have an impact on overall health and well-being.

Aim of the study:
This study aims to investigate the impact of BMD and BM on cardiopulmonary functions and sports injuries among elite wushu athletes, who are expected to represent Korea in the future. The study is aimed at understanding a relationship between these factors to help to prevent and manage injuries among elite athletes.

Material and methods:
This study involved 60 wushu athletes who participated in training and competitions from January to December 2023. The athletes’ BMD and BM were measured using DEXINO (StemLab, Kor). Additionally, their cardiopulmonary functions, V̇O2max, ventilation, and a ventilation threshold were evaluated with a POWERbreathe Plus (UK) device. An incidence of sports injuries was calculated as a 95% Poisson confidence interval (95% CI) per 1,000 hours of training participation.

Results:
BMD and BM correlated with cardiopulmonary functions such as V̇O2max (r = 0.502, r = 0.495, respectively) and ventilation (r = 0.426, r = 0.404, respectively). Furthermore, both BMD and BM were found to be correlated with sports injuries (r = –0.329, r = –0.409, respectively). Increasing BMD and BM leads to an increase in V̇O2max (p < 0.001) and ventilation (p = 0.001). On the other hand, decreasing BMD and BM increases the incidence of injuries per 1,000 hours of training.

Conclusions:
BMD and BM are related to cardiopulmonary functions and affect the injury incidence. Therefore, systematic management of BMD and BM is necessary to prevent injuries and improve performance of athletes.