Table 1.

Types of Exercise that May Prevent OP and Its Associated Fractures. A Summary Outlining the Results of the Studies Reviewed.

Reference Study Design and Exercise Duration Participants Type of Exercise Performed Outcomes and Conclusions
Watson et al. (2015)15
  • RCT
  • Duration: Twice weekly for 30 minutes
  • 28 postmenopausal females with low bone mass
  • Age: 66.1±4.8 years
Two groups:
Group 1: Brief and supervised HiPRT (includes balancing, weight lifting, and impact loading)
Group 2: Low-intensity home-based exercise program
  • Increased height, improved functional performance, improved femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in Group 1 compared to Group 2
  • HiPRT is a “safe and effective exercise therapy” for participants
Wayne et al. (2012)16
  • RCT
  • Duration: 9 months of TC training
  • 86 postmenopausal osteopenic women
  • Age: 45–70 years
TC training
  • Increase in bone formation markers and femoral neck BMD
  • Suggests longer-duration study to support findings
Kitagawa and Nakahara (2008)17
  • Cross-sectional design
  • Duration: 7 consecutive days
  • 113 postmenopausal women
  • Age: 60–85 years
Low-impact exercise: Walking
  • Increase in bone stiffness
  • Decrease in urinary DPD
  • Walking may “preserve bone health in elderly women”
Heinonen et al. (1996)18
  • RCT
  • Duration: 3 times per week for 18 months
  • 98 premenopausal, sedentary females
  • Age: 35–45 years
Progressive high-impact exercises
  • Significant increase in femoral neck BMD
  • Studies required to determine if results are sustained long-term

Organized by date: most recent to oldest.

BMD, bone mineral density; DPD, deoxypyridinoline; HiPRT, high-intensity progressive resistance training; RCT, randomized control trials; TC, T’ai-Chi.

RMMJ Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal Rambam Health Care Campus 2018 January; 9(1): e0005. ISSN: 2076-9172
Published online 2018 January 29. doi: 10.5041/RMMJ.10325