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Scientists Have Ranked Which Exercises Are Best For Your Bones
Confirmed
In Short: A new study analyzed 139 clinical trials to determine which exercises are most beneficial for bone health.
Researchers analyzed evidence from 139 clinical trials involving nearly 10,000 people to determine which non-drug therapies work best for bone health.
The study, published in Blood, found that resistance training and mixed aerobic exercises showed a reduced risk of bone fractures.
According to the research, around 600 METs minutes per week, equivalent to 2–3 hours of brisk walking or jogging, is the level at which exercise starts to make a difference.
The study also found that knee braces ranked highly across several important measures.
While the data on mind-body exercises was less clear-cut, the researchers concluded that these exercises showed some association with a reduced risk of bone fractures.
What this adds
The study did not specify the exact types of mind-body exercises that showed some association with reduced bone fractures.
The data synthesis across 124 trials presented challenges in determining the exact impact of mind-body exercises.
What's confirmed
- It could also be something called IT band syndrome (ITBS), which is when connective tissue rubs against the thighbone, which can cause pain along the IT band or the hips and knees.
- “When you lack hip extension, it’s harder for your glutes to engage. You start to push more weight to the outside of your leg to compensate. The IT band and calves get tight, and your whole leg mechanics change,” says Brian Gurney, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., a physical therapist and board-certified sports clinical specialist at BeFit Therapy in New York City.
- And since stretching helps you stay flexible and mobile, here’s one more stretching workout to add to your list if you’re experiencing hip or knee pain: iliotibial (IT) band stretches.
- It’s a thick cord of connective tissue that runs down the outside of your thighs from your hip to your knee.
- “When you have issues, you can feel it in your hip, your knee, or along the IT band itself,” explains Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.
- The IT band serves an important role in helping you move around, helping to stabilize the hips and knees, especially during high-impact exercises like running or jumping.
- Feeling pain in the hips and knees, or along your IT band, can be triggered by a tight IT band itself.
What's still developing
- Having sifted the data into different exercise groups – including resistance training, yoga, and walking – the researchers also calculated exercise 'doses' through something called Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) minutes per week, which essentially measures energy burn and exercise intensity.
- While it's well established that exercise can help strengthen bones, the researchers wanted to see which type of exercise might work best, and how much of it was needed.
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