Resistive vibration exercise attenuates bone and muscle atrophy in 56 days of bed rest: biochemical markers of bone metabolism

Armbrecht, Gabriele, Belavý, Daniel L., Gast, Ulf, Bongrazio, M., Touby, F., Beller, Gisela, Roth, H. J., Perschel, F. H., Rittweger, Jörn and Felsenberg, Dieter (2010) Resistive vibration exercise attenuates bone and muscle atrophy in 56 days of bed rest: biochemical markers of bone metabolism. Osteoporosis International, 21 (4). pp. 597-607. ISSN 1433-2965

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Abstract

Summary During and after prolonged bed rest, changes in bone metabolic markers occur within 3 days. Resistive vibration exercise during bed rest impedes bone loss and restricts increases in bone resorption markers whilst increasing bone formation. Introduction To investigate the effectiveness of a resistive vibration exercise (RVE) countermeasure during prolonged bed rest using serum markers of bone metabolism and whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as endpoints. Methods Twenty healthy male subjects underwent 8 weeks of bed rest with 12 months follow-up. Ten subjects performed RVE. Blood drawings and DXA measures were conducted regularly during and after bed rest. Results Bone resorption increased in the CTRL group with a less severe increase in the RVE group (p = 0.0004). Bone formation markers increased in the RVE group but decreased marginally in the CTRL group (p < 0.0001). At the end of bed rest, the CTRL group showed significant loss in leg bone mass (−1.8(0.9)%, p = 0.042) whereas the RVE group did not (−0.7(0.8)%, p = 0.405) although the difference between the groups was not significant (p = 0.12). Conclusions The results suggest the countermeasure restricts increases in bone resorption, increased bone formation, and reduced bone loss during bed rest.