Whole Body Vibration for Osteoporosis

Also I wonder if the low intensity vibration might take longer to make a difference? I don’t recall the length of the studies by Belinda Beck. Maybe it takes 2 years to see a difference?

It will be interesting to follow Osteoboost once it is available for purchase. And to read the actual reports of the studies behind the approval. FDA has approved the low intensity vibration belt for the treatment of osteopenia. Supposedly it produces a drop in CTX very quickly. I take that to mean preventing more bone loss but not promoting growth of new bone.

@trixiegirl -Right, I’m not clear right now how long that particular study was. I might have that if I look back to the time when I heard Belinda Beck discuss this. But, in any case I will tell you that when I purchased my Marodyne I had a conversation with those involved there and I was told not to expect a noted change for a year and a half to two.

@ans From the study protocol (actual study not yet published) you can see the time periods that were supposed to be used. Personally I think it's plenty of time to show improvement. BTW, I also own a Marodyne and no longer use it after a year with no success. Maybe it's useful in some other ways but it looks doubtful for bone density at this point IMO.
"Methods: Postmenopausal women with low areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the proximal femur and/or lumbar spine, with or without a history of fragility fracture, and either on or off osteoporosis medications will be recruited.

Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to one of four trial arms for 9 months: LIV, HiRIT, LIV + HiRIT, or control (low-intensity, home-based exercise).

Allocation will be block-randomized, stratified by use of
osteoporosis medications.

Testing will be performed at three time points: baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1; 9 months), and 1 year thereafter (T2; 21 months) to examine detraining effects.

The primary outcome measure will be total hip aBMD determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Secondary outcomes will include aBMD at other regions, anthropometrics, and other indices of bone strength, body composition, physical function, kyphosis, muscle strength and power, balance, falls, and intervention compliance. Exploratory outcomes include bone turnover markers, pelvic floor health, quality of life, physical activity enjoyment, adverse events, and fracture. An economic evaluation will also be conducted "

Do you think a WBV plate like Power Plate Move or Vibe Plate might have a better outcome? I think one could use WBV with slightly higher g force and for many be safe…Power Plate makes these claims….All the marketing stuff kind of puts me off but I do wonder. It seems like the science is there but the applications aren’t clear. I’m also curious about Osteostrong and what they use for WBV.

Perhaps the low intensity of the Marodyne isn’t enough to stimulate new bone growth for many although for some it seems to help and in those cases who knows what the other contributing factors might be.

Thanks for your thoughts.

@trixiegirl Hey there.
I wish I knew the answers but I'm just wondering like you.
Here's what I think right now (but have no way of knowing for sure):
I'm not interested in trying any other vibration plate because Dr Clinton Rubin is the man in terms of vibration and bones. He spent many many years in this area doing research. He has developed or helped develop two devices based on all that research. If those devices do not increase bone density I'm not going to try others devices who did not do this research and had no special interest in bones. For them it's just an add on means of increasing sales.

That said your logic that Marodyne may not be strong enough may be correct?
But here's how I think about that - Dr Rubin made a great deal of effort to hit the sweet spot in terms of what type of and how intense a vibration to use daily without endangering your retina and other areas susceptible to damage from vibration. Again he made that effort and if he thought more vibration might be unnecessary or dangerous then he's the one that has put the most effort into studying this.

As for Osteostrong, I do not find strong evidence in their favor. Some interesting ideas I think but their own studies (two I think) are tiny. The only substantial study I know of done by Belinda Beck and company in Australia (yes the same group that did the LIFTMOR and VIBMOR study) showed inferior results with the Osteostrong device compared to three weight exercises and one jump drop exercise. See the LIFTMOR-M trial here:
https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/server/api/core/bitstreams/812c5a89-0876-4237-b12d-a4cbab2e3ec6/content
Machine-based IAC (that's using the first "Osteostrong device developed" exercise did not result in any significant improvement in bone strength at any skeletal site examined, but may mitigate age-related loss of indices of bone strength at the distal tibia and radius."

I hope this is helpful without being a downer. For myself I stopped the Marodyne and I'm doing a modified version of the LIFTMOR protocol twice weekly and other types of exercise on the other days of the weeks.

Is anyone out there using the Onero online workout? I have been looking at the Onero online site. It is based on the LIFTMOR protocol. In my case I need structure and guidance to get started at least. If I have to pay something I will be more likely to persevere and make it a habit (the cost is reasonable as I recall and one can cancel any time). I am not a member of a gym but am thinking if I can get some basic understanding of the Onero exercises I could then join a gym and continue on my own…maybe. Sadly, I haven’t found anyone locally who has training in Onero or even heard of LIFTMOR.

Awful Truth: Are you doing a modified version of the LIFTMOR protocol on your own? Do you go to a gym? Is anyone helping you modify exercise? Also, have you considered continuing with the Marodyne? If you own one, why not? Maybe more time would make a difference and maybe it has additional benefits? Maybe doing some of the workout on the plate would be worthwhile? Just my thoughts….I haven’t ever stepped on a vibration plate, but I am very curious.

@trixiegirl, I did Onero online for a few months, but I didn't care for it and I think it's because they keep you doing the exact same things for either 2 or 3 months before you can advance and it's nothing like what they do in the gym with weights. I'm sure many love it. I didn't get this far, but you can watch this for an idea of the exercises and yes, you can definitely cancel at any time. https://onero.online/

For myself, I really like Brick House Bones on YouTube with Lisa Moore, DPT. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgPe7PS6flPwbaBmUhPulj3-aqiSH9R-V

I've also read many positives about Margaret Martin, also on YouTube.

I had a trial session at Osteostrong. The vibration machine was so intense it was difficult to maintain my balance. Now, how can that be good? I also have a Marodyne LIV to compare it to, which I still use twice a day (despite my growing doubts!)….
Hoping I will be one of those fine-boned thin osteoporotic ladies who actually show some improvement in their DEXA scans of the spine.

@trixiegirl Hey Trixie
First I have not looked into Onero online too much. While I have severe osteoporosis -4.1 is my worst spinal T-Score, I was not starting from the situation of being unfamiliar with exercise. In fact I had a long history of doing different types of exercises and of thinking about exercise and physical activity for health. I am in no way implying that others with different backgrounds and situations should do what I am doing.
I am doing a modified LIFTMOR protocol on my own. I do not go to a gym. I studied, figured out and experimented with what I wanted to do over an extended period of time while I tried other things like Marodyne and heel drops and bodyweight exercises. I also had a visit with a very knowledgeable sports doctor to have him check my form in doing the exercises.
I would have liked to have gone to Australia and gone to Belinda Beck's facility but that was not possible for me. I did what I could do under my circumstances. While I respect their efforts to bring the fruits of their studies to everyone safely, I just do not think squats, deadlifts, military presses and jump drops are something that cannot be done on one's own. At least for those with the right background and starting point.
Anyway, not encouraging others to do what I'm doing.

It's interesting to think about risk in the broad sense with osteoporosis. There is risk in lifting weights intensely or in doing other forms of exercises or sports intensely. But there is also risk in being inactive. Inactivity has long term risk mostly while with exercise and osteoporosis we fear the short term risk. The drugs for osteoporosis have all kinds of risks. Not taking them if you have severe osteoporosis has the increased risk of fracture. Each person has to choose how to navigate those risks. From the outside some of my choices might seem strange. I stopped playing badminton and pickleball considering them too dangerous for my degree of osteoporosis. OTH I am lifting weights. The osteo specialist I see recommended I continue pickleball. I loved playing pickleball but much of what I loved was playing intensely with lots of running, twisting, doing whatever possible to get to every ball I could. So for me, pickleball was risky. My modified LIFTMOR is done slowly, carefully, with no sudden unpredictable moves and twists and I saw that as reasonable risk. Besides one of those activities might help bone growth a little bit and the other might help bone growth a lot. I now play Beat Saber as a safe substitute for badminton and pickleball. And I take Evenity choosing the potential bone growth over the fear of possible untoward effects. I struggled over each of those choices. It seems that navigating these struggles are what we are doing on this forum.

I don't use the Marodyne at this point because I'm doing many other things to help my overall health that I'm confident are helping me.
Good luck to you in your quest