Peter Attia podcast on osteo
Peter Attia just did a good podcast with Belinda Beck, on YouTube and on his podcast The Drive. She's a big proponent of exercise, specifically weightlifting - although I can testify you can be a powerlifter and still have lousy T scores!
I've been researching the vibration plate idea - Belinda is doing the best study I could find on efficacy. Sounds like the trials have been done, but she's in the data evaluation phase, so no results yet? If anyone has more info, please share! The Bone Clinic, VIBMOR Study I think is what it's called. Australia.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.
I bought a Power Plate in 2008 and really loved it for quite a long time, though eventually stopped using it because I have glaucoma, later had a huge post-surgical eye wall collapse, and had two knee replacements. Most of my doctors were worried about the vibrations. I'd had one borderline DEXA at that point but I didn't pay it much attention, since I had almost no risk factors and my other doctors told me DEXAs were not very reliable back then.
Much later I got very interested in the very gentle vibration plate developed by Dr. CT Rubin and others after very extensive research with osteoporosis in mind. My endocrinologist was involved in assessing that product and told me when I asked about it after falling and breaking my femur and getting an actual osteoporosis diagnosis, that unfortunately it had not turned out to be useful.
In Keith McCormick's book, GREAT BONES, he talks about vibrating plates on pages 572 and 573. He is cautionary that they can be harmful to the eyes, ears, joints, and even the brain and gives some exact specifications you should be sure your platform has available if you plan to use it that way.
You should be barely able to feel the vibrations. If you have spinal fractures that keep you from standard weight-bearing exercise, he says it may be worth pursuing but you clearly need to be very careful.
Thanks for the reply - yes, the very low vibration type is what I'm interested in.
@lobermey I'm currently listening to that podcast and it is great. Though there are probably easier interviews with Belinda Beck. I will say she has tremendous knowledge on bones and exercise and Peter Attia is just excellent at guiding an interview and summarizing frequently as the interview goes along. So I'm glad you brought this to everyone's attention.
I believe her 3 published trials are among the most important studies done in regards to bones in recent years. Maybe the most important. All three showed and therefore verified that you can build bone with exercise and do it safely even though intense effort was used in all three studies.
As to the vibration plates. The low intensity vib plate, the Marodyne, designed by Dr Clinton Rubin is the one that was studied by Beck in the VIBMOR studies. The study has not been published but Beck has already stated in multiple interviews and talks that she was surprised and disappointed that they found no benefit from the device. Not sure why still not published, perhaps they are still double and triple checking their results?
As @stuffy mentioned there are reasons to be wary of vib plates designed for exercise at gyms etc. At least Dr Rubin says they may not be safe for various reasons, like your eyes and retinas and that they may exceed OSHA guidelines for workplace vibration. My personal experience is I bought one and used it for a year and lost a lot of bone that year. Not saying the Marodyne caused it but it sure didn't prevent it from happening. I now do a modified LIFTMOR protocol.