Journal of Osteoporosis and Physical Activity
Open Access

Abstract

Effects of Whole-Body Vibration and High-Impact Aerobic Training on Bone Metabolism and Body Balance in Premenopausal Women

Yoshinori Ishii, Hideo Noguchi, Junko Sato, Takeshi Yamamoto RN and Shin-Ichi Toyabe

Purpose: Whole-body vibration (WBV) is new type of exercise that is being increasingly performed to prevent bone fractures and osteoporosis in frail people. Whether WBV plays an important role in positive skeletal responses of premenopausal women is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 6 months of supervised WBV and high-impact aerobics (HIA) on bone metabolism and body balance in pre-menopausal women.

Methods: Sixty-seven eligible premenopausal women were stratified into three groups: the WBV training group (n = 23), HIA training group (n = 22), and control group (n = 22). The subjects in both training groups participated in a supervised training program involving three sets of 3-minute exercise sessions three times a week for 6 months. The WBV group received vibration in a static standing position. The HIA group jumped rope. Bone-related factors and body balance were compared at baseline and 6-month intervals.

Results: Comparison of the percent changes of the variables showed that WBV and HIA at the stimulus level of the current study had no superior effect on the bone metabolism of healthy premenopausal women compared with controls. However, comparison of the absolute changes between baseline and the 6-month intervention showed a couple of positive findings in all groups.

Conclusions: Our data suggest that higher exposures of isolated WBV than those used in the current study or WBV plus various types of HIA training might be needed to improve the bone metabolism and body balance in premenopausal women.