Whole Body Vibration or Heel Drop for Osteoporosis and Osteopenia?
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Your time is precious, how should you spend it? You want to address your osteopenia or osteoporosis and prevent further bone loss, but how?
Let's talk about Whole Body Vibration (WBV) as a way to increase bone density.
I get asked about WBV fairly often. When you first find out that your bone density is not what you thought it was, it is normal to want to do everything you can to improve it. Maybe WBV is the thing you should be doing.
What does the most recent research tell us about whole-body vibration?
In January 2023, The journal, Osteoporosis International released Effectiveness of whole-body vibration on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis with some interesting findings.
After evaluating 21 studies, it was concluded that WBV at a high frequency (30 Hz), low magnitude (0.3g), and high cumulative dose (>7000 minutes) is effective at increasing bone density at the lumbar spine. This is a lot of time on a vibration plate. You would need to be on the vibration plate for about 20 minutes a day for over a year to get this benefit. And, because the benefits were mostly seen with high-frequency settings, this type of protocol is not safe for those who are at a high risk of fracture.
What does this mean?
When we look at the benefits of WBV compared to a regular exercise program, there is no difference; meaning they both help.
At this time, we don't know if the benefits of WBV last. A few more drawbacks to WBV include access, most people do not have a WBV plate, and the expense of buying one that has these specific parameters and will last over 7000 minutes is not cheap. There is also some conflicting information about whether you should stand on the plate with flexed knees or not. For anyone with knee arthritis, this may be difficult to do.
Another systematic review released in July 2023, Impacts of Whole-Body Vibration on Muscle Strength, Power, and Endurance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, found that lower body strength improved with WBV. Most of the included studies were of low quality, and they concluded that there was no difference between WBV and other types of exercise.
We do know that regular resistance and cardiovascular exercise have many benefits beyond bone and lower body strengthening that WBV doesn't have. This includes improvement in:
👉heart disease risk,
👉improving depression,
👉helping with weight management
👉decreased hot flashes.
This means exercise, including weight training, resistance training, and cardio workouts is a much better use of your time and money.
Takeaway: Spend your 20 minutes a day doing resistance exercise, rather than standing on a vibration plate. Spend your money on an exercise class or coach rather than buying a vibration plate.
To go along with exercises that benefit your bones, see my Exercise Tip heel drops and foot stomping. The way to increase bone density comes down to anatomy. Bone is stimulated to form in relation to the forces put through it, particularly compression. What better way to compress bone than stomping around or doing heel drops? Of course, if you have an active fracture, don't do these exercises.
What do you think?
If you need help getting started with a consistent exercise routine, I am here to help. Join my waitlist and be the first to get the details of my upcoming Strong Women, Strong Bones 4-week Jumpstart program.
I look forward to helping you build bone and healthy habits,
Andrea Trombley PT, DPT
References:
de Oliveira, R. D. J., de Oliveira, R. G., de Oliveira, L. C., Santos-Filho, S. D., Sá-Caputo, D. C., & Bernardo-Filho, M. (2023). Effectiveness of whole-body vibration on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Osteoporosis International: a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 34(1), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-022-06556-y
Gonçalves de Oliveira R, Coutinho HMEL, Martins MNM, Bernardo-Filho M, de Sá-Caputo DDC, Campos de Oliveira L, Taiar R. Impacts of Whole-Body Vibration on Muscle Strength, Power, and Endurance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med. 2023 Jul 3;12(13):4467. doi: 10.3390/jcm12134467. PMID: 37445502; PMCID: PMC10342949.