Time-course of exercise and its association with 12-month bone changes
Riikka Ahola1, Raija Korpelainen, Aki Vainionpää
1Department of Medical Technology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Oulu, Finland. riikka.ahola@oulu.fi
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
|November 14, 2009
Summary
High-impact exercise for 6 months significantly improved bone density and geometry in premenopausal women. Early exercise intensity, particularly high-impact moments, is crucial for long-term bone health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Exercise physiology
- Bone metabolism
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Exercise positively impacts bone density and strength.
- Limited understanding of the time-course of exercise effects on bone.
- Need for methods to quantify long-term physical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the association between exercise intensity and bone changes.
- Assess 12-month changes in upper femur bone mineral density (aBMD) and geometry.
- Focus on healthy premenopausal women.
Main Methods:
- Continuous physical activity monitoring using accelerometers in 35 women (35-40 years).
- Progressive high-impact training with impact intensity quantified by acceleration levels.
- Dual X-ray absorptiometry and quantitative CT for bone measurements; multivariate analysis used.
Main Results:
- High-intensity impacts (>3.9 g) over 6-12 months correlated with femoral neck aBMD changes.
- Trochanteric aBMD and mid-femoral geometry changes linked to early exercise impacts (0-3 months).
- Six months of high-impact activity predicted 12-month bone changes after adjustments.
Conclusions:
- Six months of high-acceleration impacts are positively associated with femoral neck, trochanter, and mid-femur bone changes.
- Results inform the design of effective training programs for premenopausal bone loss prevention.
- No significant bone changes were observed in the tibia.
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