Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: It is evident that there are a large number of studies dealing with the problem of osteoporosis due to the exponential growth of fracture occurrence in elderly population.The risk for fracture is closely related to the natural loss of bone mass in women and men as a result of aging.Due to obvious demographic changes in age, i.e. an overall process of population aging, the number of fractures is higher than expected, which indicates that bone quality is deteriorating from one generation to the next.In order to prevent the deterioration it is necessary to come up with appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic methods.Apart from standard methods comprising of calcium and vitamin D supplementation, which do not have a great effect on bone, one of the best non-pharmacological methods for lifelong improvement of bone mass is physical exercise, or participation in quality training, as evidenced by number of studies.Of course, practical work and scientific research indicate that not all exercise modalities are equally efficient in improving bone mass, i.e. there are modalities that can significantly affect the bone quality and there are those that do not have a notable influence on the same.Therefore, it is necessary to determine the most efficient physical exercise modalities for improving bone mass quality in different age groups through inspection of previous studies.The importance of physical activity in enhancing bone quality, i.e. increasing bone mass and strength, is evidenced by a number of studies showing positive effects of sport and various types of training on abovementioned properties.This is supported by results of the studies indicating that training is potentially superior to supplementation of essential minerals for metabolism and bone mass.Regarding the type of training, or type of physical activity with the highest potential for increasing bone mass, there are two activities that stand out -work-outs with great loadings and jump exercises, that is, strength training and plyometric training.Another type of training focused on increasing bone mass that is becoming prominent lately is vibration training, but compared to other two, which are more appropriate for young population due to its simplicity and safety, it is appropriate for elderly population.Aerobic training significantly affects cardiovascular health and shows certain indications of improving or at least maintaining bone mass.Therefore, if we want to maintain optimal bone mass throughout life, it is beneficial to participate in systematic sports training from early childhood and to regularly involve oneself in physical activities on a regular basis over longer periods of time, especially in those creating greater ground reaction forces and in those with external loading larger than those of everyday life.It is a challenging task to give a valid conclusion about optimal loading parameters for specific types of training due to inconsistency in methodological approaches and, often, controversial findings.Hence, future research should focus on: a) the determination of optimal loading parameters for specific types of training and age groups with a uniform methodology; b) topological effects of specific exercises, especially in strength and jump training; c) the determination of effects of agility training as a potential protocol for bone mass development in young population; and d) the determination of residual effects of training focused on bone mass gains, that is, the on effects of detraining.
Authors: Cvita Gregov, Sanja Šalaj
Institution: University of Zagreb
Language: English
Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2240360266