Vibrate Your Bones

Filed in archive Osteoporosis on March 1, 2007

As we grow older, our bones become weaker and more brittle. Osteoporosis may set in. It's worse for women who lose so much calcium during their child bearing years.

One thing that's good for your bones is exercise - jogging, running, jumping. Trust me. Most elderly people are better off not doing any of those things. Not if the bones are weak or brittle. Broken bones at any age are no fun. For the elderly, a broken hip could mean the remainder of their life spent in a wheelchair.

Well, there's good news for us elder folk. Science Daily tells us that Dr belinda Beck, senior lecturer at Griffith University's School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science in Australia has received funding to develop a new device :

She has recently received funding to test the effects of a whole body vibration device -- a platform that participants stand on while it vibrates at up to 30 cycles per second. "Bone generally responds to exercise that is high intensity but older people can't do that without the risk of hurting themselves. We need a stimulus that is effective on bone but does not cause damage."