Excessive-impact train boosts bone density with out harming knee well being in postmenopausal girls

In a latest research printed within the Journal of Bone and Mineral Analysis, researchers assessed the affect of high-impact train on femoral neck bone density and knee osteoarthritis (OA) (a degenerative joint illness inflicting cartilage breakdown and joint ache) imaging biomarkers in wholesome postmenopausal (the interval in a girl’s life after her menstrual cycles have ceased for twelve consecutive months) girls.

Research: Excessive-Influence Train Elevated Femoral Neck Bone Density With No Opposed Results on Imaging Markers of Knee Osteoarthritis in Postmenopausal Girls. Picture Credit score: lzf / Shutterstock

Background 

Osteoporosis (OP) (a situation characterised by weakened bones, rising the danger of fractures) and OA have an effect on thousands and thousands globally, with larger bone mineral density (BMD) linked to decreased OA development threat however elevated knee OA threat. Postmenopausal girls are at larger OP threat because of estrogen deficiency and have the next OA prevalence than males. Excessive-impact train can enhance BMD, with combined ends in postmenopausal girls. Progressive unilateral train has improved femoral neck BMD in premenopausal girls and older males. Additional analysis is required to substantiate the long-term results and security of high-impact train on bone and joint well being in postmenopausal girls.

In regards to the research 

The current trial concerned 6 months of high-impact unilateral train on a randomly assigned train leg (EL) in comparison with the contralateral management leg (CL). Accredited by ethics committees, individuals supplied written knowledgeable consent earlier than enrollment. Postmenopausal girls aged 55 to 70 years had been recruited, with exclusions for OP pharmaceutical therapy eligibility, joint accidents, medical situations precluding train, physique mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m², latest ionizing radiation research, high-impact train frequency, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Twin-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) contraindications and bone-affecting drugs.

Screening included phone interviews and baseline testing, overlaying well being and bodily exercise questionnaires, DXA scans, and eligibility assessments. Baseline MRI scans and Floor Response Drive (GRF) information assortment adopted familiarization with the hopping protocol. Members had been randomly assigned an train leg and accomplished the primary supervised session. After 6 months, repeat DXA, MRI, and drive plate information had been collected.

Well being information, bodily exercise, and calcium consumption had been recorded. DXA scans analyzed whole-body, femurs, and lumbar backbone for femoral neck BMD, bone mineral content material (BMC), and part modulus (Z). Semiquantitative scoring for bone marrow lesions (BML) and cartilage defects used the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Rating (MOAKS) system. GRFs throughout hopping estimated osteogenic load.

The intervention required 50 day by day multidirectional hops, progressing over 6 months, with individuals sustaining train diaries. Information evaluation employed paired t-tests, repeated measures Evaluation of Variance (ANOVA), and McNemar assessments, with significance set at p < 0.05. Pattern dimension calculations required 30 individuals to detect femoral neck BMD modifications.

This is a wild research! Researchers randomly assigned growing older girls to *bounce on one leg* 50 occasions for six months to see if it will enhance bone density in comparison with the non-jumping leg. It labored! https://t.co/kYy0LJh7Wj pic.twitter.com/ccwFMgotxh

— Thomas Talhelm (@ThomasTalhelm) July 1, 2024

Research outcomes 

Baseline traits indicated no important variations in femoral neck T-scores between the legs. Among the many 42 individuals randomized, follow-up information had been out there for 35. Seven individuals had been misplaced to follow-up or withdrew because of knee discomfort or Achilles tendinopathy. Two individuals formally withdrew however returned for follow-up information; one withdrew because of knee discomfort, which recovered after stopping the train, and one other because of a non-intervention-related knee damage.

Adherence was assessed throughout the last 16 weeks when individuals had been prescribed 50 hops day by day. The imply adherence was 76.8%, with 29 individuals exercising at the least 4 days per week. Members reported a mean of three.4 days of missed periods, principally because of ankle or knee soreness.

There have been no important modifications in complete physique fats mass, lean mass, or lean mass of the EL and CL. The imply peak vertical (v)GRFs of 10 consecutive hops confirmed no distinction between the legs at baseline. Submit-intervention, vGRF elevated in each legs (EL by 10% and CL by 7%), indicating elevated hopping depth over 6 months.

Bone measurements indicated no baseline variations between legs. After 6 months of high-impact train, imply femoral neck BMD elevated within the EL by 0.81% and decreased within the CL by 0.57%. Comparable modifications had been noticed for BMC and Z. BMD decreased by 0.9% from baseline.

In particular person areas of curiosity (ROIs), the medial tibial ROI of the central slice confirmed a major leg × time interplay, which was not statistically important after adjusting for a number of comparisons.

Semiquantitative evaluation of knee joint measures confirmed excessive baseline prevalence of BMLs and cartilage defects, notably within the patellofemoral joint (PFJ). Following the intervention, there have been no important variations between ROIs that progressed and those who didn’t. 5 individuals had BML development within the EL and 5 within the CL. 4 individuals had BML rating enhancements within the EL and 5 within the CL. Six individuals had development of cartilage defects within the EL and 4 within the CL, with two enhancements within the EL and three within the CL.

Conclusions 

To summarize, this research is the primary to indicate that six months of high-impact, unilateral train can considerably enhance femoral neck BMD, BMC, and Z in postmenopausal girls with out negatively affecting knee cartilage or OA development. These findings distinction with earlier meta-analyses and recommend that common, progressive loading successfully enhances bone energy on this inhabitants. The research additionally indicated that high-impact train is a protected and useful intervention for bettering hip energy in postmenopausal girls.