Table of Contents
Rebounding is easy to do, inexpensive, portable, and can be done in the comfort of your home. But is rebounding good for osteoporosis? Does rebounding build bone density, can rebounding reverse osteoporosis, and is rebounding safe for osteoporosis? This post answers each of these questions.
Let’s start with the first question people often ask me: does rebounding build bone density?
Does Rebounding Build Bone Density?
Two recent research studies have considered whether rebounding builds bone density in postmenopausal women? Neither of the two research teams was able to definitively prove that rebounding built bone density.
Let’s start with a study published in 2023 in the Journal of Womenʼs Health Physical Therapy.
Mini-Trampoline as an Exercise Intervention for Postmenopausal Women
This study (1) examined the potential benefits of rebounding (or mini-trampoline jumping) as an exercise intervention for postmenopausal women. The research team in New Zealand focused on bone density and pelvic floor muscle functioning.
The study involved 37 healthy postmenopausal women who self-assigned to either an intervention group (n=29) or a control group (n=8). The intervention group followed a rebounder exercise program that lasted 12 weeks with 40-minute sessions conducted three times per week.
The control group in this study did not participate in any structured exercise intervention. They essentially maintained their normal lifestyle activities while the intervention group followed the 12-week rebounder exercise program.
The rebounder exercises were designed to improve aerobic fitness, flexibility, lower extremity strength, balance, and pelvic floor muscle activation, with intensity maintained at 40-75% of age-predicted maximum heart rate.
Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Key outcome measures included:
- Bone mineral density (BMD) via quantitative ultrasound of the calcaneus
- Pelvic floor muscle function measured using surface electromyography
- Urinary incontinence evaluated through questionnaires for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI)
The results showed significant improvements in the intervention group:
- Bone mineral density increased significantly post-intervention compared to the control group, with benefits still present but diminished at the 3-month follow-up.
- Stress urinary incontinence scores decreased in the exercise group, with the difference becoming statistically significant at the 3-month follow-up.
- No significant differences were found for the cough assessment or urge urinary incontinence scores.
Key Observations of Study
The researchers concluded that rebounder exercise may be an effective intervention for improving female-specific health risk factors in postmenopausal women, particularly bone density and stress urinary incontinence symptoms.
However, the study had several significant limitations, including a relatively small sample size (particularly in the control group), self-assignment rather than randomization, and measurements of bone density limited to the calcaneus of one foot.
These limitations make it difficult to say, one way or another, whether rebounding can build bone density.
The Effectiveness of a Mini-Trampoline on Bone Health and Osteoporosis
A 2019 study (2) published in the journal, Clinical Interventions in Aging, evaluated the effectiveness of a rebounder exercise program for older women with osteopenia. The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial with 40 female participants (average age 68.5 years) who were divided into an intervention group (IG, n=20) and a control group (CG, n=20).
The intervention group participated in a twelve-week rebounder exercise program. The program consisted of twice-weekly, 45-60 minute sessions on rebounders, featuring three types of exercises:
- Balance exercises (walking in place, various standing postures)
- Strength exercises for upper/lower limbs and trunk
- Jumping exercises (bouncing, jumping with various foot positions)
Researchers measured several outcomes before and after the intervention including static balance, functional mobility, upper and lower limb strength, gait speed, fear of falling, and bone density in the lumbar spine and femoral neck.
The results showed significant improvements in the intervention group compared to the control group in all parameters except bone density. Specifically, the intervention group showed improvements in static balance, functional mobility, and upper and lower limb strength. Further, the intervention group experienced an increase in gait speed, a reduction in fear of falling, but limited increase in bone density in the lumbar spine and femoral neck.
The control group showed either no change or slight decreases in most parameters during the same period.
The researchers concluded that the mini-trampoline exercise program was highly effective in improving balance, mobility, strength, gait performance, and reducing fear of falling in older women with osteopenia.
Key Observations of Study
This study was better designed than the first study (discussed above), however, it still fell short in that the researchers should have created a third study group that performed the exercises on the ground and not the rebounder. As a result, it is difficult to say whether the exercises or the rebounder led to the reported improvements.
While the research team claimed that rebounding exercises slightly improved bone density, they failed to show that the rebounding, unto itself, led to an increase in bone density. The researchers did not isolate the effect of the rebounder and failed to answer the question, does rebounding build bone density?
The intervention group performed exercises while using the rebounder while the control group “maintained their normal lifestyle.” The researchers should have created a third group where people who did the same exercises as the intervention group but without the use of the rebounder. This would have allowed fair comparison between the different groups and yielded more meaningful results.
Having a third group would have allowed us to see if the rebounder added to the effects of an exercise program or actually reduced the effects (possibly because it reduced ground reaction forces through the skeleton.
Neither study adequately demonstrated that the rebounder helped build bone density. They did however show positive impact on a number of important health metrics.
Stress urinary incontinence scores improved and that exercising on the rebounder was highly effective in improving balance, mobility, strength, gait performance, and reducing fear of falling in older women with osteopenia.
Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis
Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
But what exercises should you do and which ones should you avoid? What exercises build bone and which ones reduce your chance of a fracture? Is Yoga good for your bones? Who should you trust when it comes to exercises for osteoporosis?
A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health — one lesson each day. You can look at the videos at anytime and as often as you like.
I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including:
- Can exercise reverse osteoporosis?
- Stop the stoop — how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders.
- Key components of an osteoporosis exercise program.
- Key principles of bone building.
- Exercises you should avoid if you have osteoporosis.
- Yoga and osteoporosis — should you practice yoga if you have osteoporosis?
- Core strength and osteoporosis — why is core strength important if you have osteoporosis?
Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. I do not SPAM or share your email address (or any information) with third parties. You can unsubscribe from my mail list at any time.
Can You Use Rebounding to Reverse Osteoporosis?
Our review of the two recent studies clearly shows that you cannot rely upon rebounding to build bone density and, thus, reverse osteoporosis. However, you can argue that it might assist with an improvement in balance and functional mobility, and thereby reduce your risk of a fall.
Unfortunately, neither study separated the effects of exercise from exercise on the rebounder to confidently show that the rebounder itself is effective for osteopenia or osteoporosis.
Is Rebounding Safe for Osteoporosis?
Is rebounding safe if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia? A case series (3) published in August of 2023 demonstrates that there could be risks associated with rebounding exercise on a rebounder for individuals, even if there are no prior indications of osteoporosis or osteopenia.
Vertebral Compression Fracture after Rebounding
This case series reports on seven patients who developed mid-thoracic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) following regular rebounding exercise, despite having no history of high-energy trauma.
The researchers from hospitals in Seoul, Republic of Korea, documented cases of patients (one man and six women, mean age 62.86 years) who presented with progressively worsening upper back pain after beginning regular rebounding exercise. All patients developed symptoms approximately 16 days after starting rebounding exercise sessions, which typically lasted about 40 minutes and were performed 3 to 4 times weekly.
MRI scans confirmed a total of ten fractures across the seven patients, affecting vertebrae T5-T8, with T8 being the most commonly affected (four cases). Notably, only four of the seven patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis based on DEXA scans, suggesting that these injuries can occur even in individuals without significantly compromised bone quality.
A critical finding was that all patients reported they had never received proper instruction on correct posture during rebounding. Instead, they exercised with:
- A “hunchback” posture
- Insufficient movement of hip, knee, and ankle joints
- Both hands holding the safety bar
The authors hypothesize that this improper technique resulted in increased peak vertical force along the gravity axis in the mid-thoracic area. When adopting a hunchback posture, gravity forces decompose into shearing and compressive forces on the inclined vertebrae, potentially leading to stress fractures from repetitive loading even without high-energy trauma.
The study highlights that while rebounding is generally considered beneficial for postural balance, stability, and muscle strength, improper technique can lead to significant injuries, including vertebral compression fractures.
NASA, Rebounder Mini Trampolines and Bone Density
Invariably, everyone promoting the use of the rebounder as a treatment for osteoporosis points to research done in 1980 by a group of NASA researchers. Forty five years ago they published a study comparing the bio-mechanical stimuli of jumping on a mini trampoline to running on a treadmill. (4)
It was a small study group of eight males between the ages of 19 and 26 years old. They followed a strict protocol for mini trampoline and treadmill use. The research team measured the effects of both on O2 uptake and musculature. They did not study the effect on bone.
The team found that for similar levels of heart rate and VO2, the magnitude of the bio-mechanical stimuli was greater with jumping on a rebounder than with running.
They hypothesized that they could use rebounders to maintain the physical condition of their astronauts.
So, does NASA use rebounders in space? No. They use a completely different modality called ARED.
The NASA Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED)
At the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO) 2014, I had the pleasure hearing Nicole Stott, Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) speak of their conditioning in space. The astronauts exercise two hours per day with a special piece of equipment called an Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED).
The exercise protocol NASA uses includes resistive strength training exercises such as squats, heel raises, dead lifts and press. They are also harnessed onto a treadmill and must run an hour each day while in space. Nicole joked that the astronauts come back to earth in better physical conditioning than when they left.
Many of these exercises are part of the Exercise for Better Bones program. Fortunately, you can do Exercise for Better Bones here on earth and you don’t need expensive gear designed by NASA engineers.
Bellicon Rebounder: Mini Trampoline for Osteoporosis
A number of readers have contacted me for my opinion of the Bellicon Rebounder: can it be used to build bone density?
As demonstrated earlier in this post, there is no research indicating that any rebounder, including the Bellicose Rebounder, can improve bone health or treat osteoporosis.
Rebounding and Osteoporosis: Conclusion and Summary
Rebounding with a mini trampoline is a popular exercise activity. Rebounders are convenient, inexpensive, and easy to use. Sadly, there is very little research indicating that rebounding is good for osteoporosis. The studies had many weaknesses including small sample sizes, short duration and the lack of a proper control group.
A rebounder studies did show that it helped with balance, gait mobility, and strength. However, be aware that there have been several cases of individuals experiencing vertebral compression fractures after using the rebounder.
My recommendation is that should you decide to use the rebounder, that you do so only if you have good posture and use it as an adjunct to strength training. Some movement is better than none at all, but the side effects to exercise should lead to positive outcomes.
I encourage you all to follow a safe and effective exercise program that considers your activity level and fracture risk, and gradually allows you to improve your bone health.
Margaret Martin
Further Readings
References
- Fricke, Anja & Fink, Philip & Rowlands, David & Lark, Sally & Mundel, Toby & Shultz, Sarah. (2023). Mini-Trampoline Jumping as an Exercise Intervention for Postmenopausal Women. Journal of Women’s & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. 47. 19-25. 10.1097/jwh.0000000000000257.
- Posch M, Schranz A, Lener M, Tecklenburg K, Burtscher M, Ruedl G, Niedermeier M, Wlaschek W. Effectiveness of a Mini-Trampoline Training Program on Balance and Functional Mobility, Gait Performance, Strength, Fear of Falling and Bone Mineral Density in Older Women with Osteopenia. Clin Interv Aging. 2019 Dec 20;14:2281-2293. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S230008. PMID: 31908438; PMCID: PMC6929928.
- Park SC, Kim HB, Chung HJ, Yang JH, Kang MS. Mid-Thoracic Vertebral Compression Fracture after Mini-Trampoline Exercise: A Case Series of Seven Patients. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Aug 24;59(9):1529. doi: 10.3390/medicina59091529. PMID: 37763648; PMCID: PMC10532981.
- Bhattacharya A, et al. Body acceleration distribution and O2 uptake in humans during running and jumping. Journal of Applied Physiology 1980; 49(5):881-887
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