Has anyone had experience with Osteostrong?

Posted by lorrainelashell @lorrainelashell, Aug 9 9:12pm

I have osteoporosis in my arms and want to explore options to medication. A friend told me about a company with a franchisee not far from my home that claims to help strengthen bones through a special exercise program. Has anyone heard of Osteostrong or tried it?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

There is at least one thread with lots of comments about Osteostrong. You will find lots of different viewpoints and experiences there.

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I did a year but saw no change. I think you might have more results with strength training- lifting weights with a personal trainer.
At over $200/month for osteostrong, you could have a personal trainer coach you.

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Profile picture for 2121 @leslie2121

I did a year but saw no change. I think you might have more results with strength training- lifting weights with a personal trainer.
At over $200/month for osteostrong, you could have a personal trainer coach you.

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Our Osteostrong in Central Florida is $149 a month, and I pay $159 so I can use a modality after each session like a red light therapy, a PMF mat, or the bio charger. I feel better going, it helps me both physically and mentally added to the other things I’m doing to improve my bone health.

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Profile picture for jennirdh @jennirdh

Our Osteostrong in Central Florida is $149 a month, and I pay $159 so I can use a modality after each session like a red light therapy, a PMF mat, or the bio charger. I feel better going, it helps me both physically and mentally added to the other things I’m doing to improve my bone health.

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Agree, it was pleasant and everyone courteous and helpful. It just didn’t add bone density for me.

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OsteoStrong Clinical Trial - Information provided on nbihealth website.
In February 2025, the first clinical trial on the OsteoStrong system was published. The study lasted one year. Unfortunately, the only groups that showed statistically significant improvements were those in which the women were taking an osteoporosis medication. Doing the OsteoStrong program alone did not improve bone mineral density (BMD) or trabecular bone score (TBS). TBS is a measure of bone quality based on a BMD test. Additionally, doing OsteoStrong plus taking an osteoporosis medication did not improve BMD or TBS beyond what simply taking the drug did.
Article posted on nbihealth/osteostrong-fails-in-clinical-trial

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Profile picture for sunnyinsarasota @sunnyinsarasota

OsteoStrong Clinical Trial - Information provided on nbihealth website.
In February 2025, the first clinical trial on the OsteoStrong system was published. The study lasted one year. Unfortunately, the only groups that showed statistically significant improvements were those in which the women were taking an osteoporosis medication. Doing the OsteoStrong program alone did not improve bone mineral density (BMD) or trabecular bone score (TBS). TBS is a measure of bone quality based on a BMD test. Additionally, doing OsteoStrong plus taking an osteoporosis medication did not improve BMD or TBS beyond what simply taking the drug did.
Article posted on nbihealth/osteostrong-fails-in-clinical-trial

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Nbi health?

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In reply to @gravity3 "Nbi health?" + (show)
Profile picture for gravity3 @gravity3

Nbi health?

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I found the article on nbihealth.com

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Profile picture for sunnyinsarasota @sunnyinsarasota

OsteoStrong Clinical Trial - Information provided on nbihealth website.
In February 2025, the first clinical trial on the OsteoStrong system was published. The study lasted one year. Unfortunately, the only groups that showed statistically significant improvements were those in which the women were taking an osteoporosis medication. Doing the OsteoStrong program alone did not improve bone mineral density (BMD) or trabecular bone score (TBS). TBS is a measure of bone quality based on a BMD test. Additionally, doing OsteoStrong plus taking an osteoporosis medication did not improve BMD or TBS beyond what simply taking the drug did.
Article posted on nbihealth/osteostrong-fails-in-clinical-trial

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Well, I would say "the jury is still out" on this one - nbihealth.com is a seller of supplements. As far as I can tell, the "failed" study is their interpretation of unpublished results. Hmm, seller of supplements misrepresents a study about a competitor?

Their title doesn't exactly match this other (paid) press release:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/osteostrong-study-accepted-publication-journal-135300866.html
So, I went digging - it may have been accepted for publication, but the full study (done in 2023) is not yet published. And we don't know who did the study or how they were connected to Osteostrong.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Osteostrong doesn't fund an independent organization to study their process if it is as good as advertised. It doesn't help that their gyms are beginning to offer highly-questionable "add-ons" like the "Bio-Charger"

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Profile picture for Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn

Well, I would say "the jury is still out" on this one - nbihealth.com is a seller of supplements. As far as I can tell, the "failed" study is their interpretation of unpublished results. Hmm, seller of supplements misrepresents a study about a competitor?

Their title doesn't exactly match this other (paid) press release:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/osteostrong-study-accepted-publication-journal-135300866.html
So, I went digging - it may have been accepted for publication, but the full study (done in 2023) is not yet published. And we don't know who did the study or how they were connected to Osteostrong.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Osteostrong doesn't fund an independent organization to study their process if it is as good as advertised. It doesn't help that their gyms are beginning to offer highly-questionable "add-ons" like the "Bio-Charger"

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To clarify, the study you're referring to has been published now (as of February 2025) in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a reputable peer-reviewed journal. Research The full title is "Effective Brief, Low-impact, High-intensity Osteogenic Loading in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis," and it was conducted by a team of Greek researchers, including Dr. George P. Chrousos from the University of Athens, who seems to be a well-regarded endocrinologist without obvious direct ties to OsteoStrong (though the company has heavily promoted the results).
From what I can gather on the study details:

It involved 147 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, divided into an OsteoStrong intervention group and a control group, with subgroups based on whether they were also taking antiresorptive medications (like bisphosphonates).
Over 12 months, the OsteoStrong group showed some modest improvements in lumbar spine BMD (bone mineral density) and TBS (trabecular bone score), but these were not statistically significant after applying corrections for multiple comparisons (a standard statistical adjustment to avoid false positives).
Subgroups on medications saw better results, but OsteoStrong didn't add benefits beyond the meds alone. Non-medicated participants using OsteoStrong alone didn't show meaningful gains.
Importantly, the study didn't measure outcomes like falls or fractures, so it doesn't address if OsteoStrong helps prevent those.

That said, the study has faced a lot of criticism since publication. Experts from groups like Osteoporosis Canada have pointed out issues, including unclear objectives, lack of ethical approval details, potential methodological flaws, and concerns about how the data was analyzed. There's even been a push for retraction from international researchers, who argue it shouldn't have been published in its current form due to these problems. For example, a review in ABC News highlighted how the claims might be misleading, and a scoping review on PubMed noted inconsistent effects from OsteoStrong overall with limited safety data.
On your point about why OsteoStrong doesn't fund a truly independent study: that's a fair question and one I've wondered too. This Greek study appears to be university-led rather than directly company-funded (no conflicts were declared in the paper), but the quality concerns make it hard to call it definitive proof. Maybe cost or design challenges play a role, but more rigorous, independent trials would definitely build trust—especially since earlier research on similar osteogenic loading has been mixed.
Regarding the add-ons like the BioCharger: I completely share your skepticism. It's marketed as a "cellular charging" device using frequencies and PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic fields), but there's no solid scientific evidence it does anything meaningful for bone health or recovery—it's often labeled as pseudoscience by critics, with no high-quality studies backing it up. Offering stuff like that at their centers does raise red flags about credibility, in my opinion.
Overall, based on this, I'd say yes the jury is still out, but leaning toward caution. If OsteoStrong works for some people anecdotally (maybe through general strength gains or motivation), great—but the evidence doesn't strongly support it as a standalone fix for osteoporosis. I'm sticking with proven approaches like weight-bearing exercise & nutrition, while keeping an eye on any new independent studies.

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Profile picture for sunnyinsarasota @sunnyinsarasota

OsteoStrong Clinical Trial - Information provided on nbihealth website.
In February 2025, the first clinical trial on the OsteoStrong system was published. The study lasted one year. Unfortunately, the only groups that showed statistically significant improvements were those in which the women were taking an osteoporosis medication. Doing the OsteoStrong program alone did not improve bone mineral density (BMD) or trabecular bone score (TBS). TBS is a measure of bone quality based on a BMD test. Additionally, doing OsteoStrong plus taking an osteoporosis medication did not improve BMD or TBS beyond what simply taking the drug did.
Article posted on nbihealth/osteostrong-fails-in-clinical-trial

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That’s the problem with any studies they cite- multiple variables keep you from knowing if it’s the meds or osteostrong that helped. I wasn’t taking any medication and got no change.

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