Resistive vibration exercise attenuates bone and muscle atrophy in 56 days of bed rest: biochemical markers of bone metabolism

During and after prolonged bed rest, changes in bone metabolic markers occur within 3 days. Resistive vibration exercise during bed rest impedes bone loss and restricts increases in bone resorption markers whilst increasing bone formation. To investigate the effectiveness of a resistive vibration exercise (RVE) countermeasure during prolonged bed rest using serum markers of bone metabolism and whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as endpoints. Twenty healthy male subjects underwent 8 weeks of bed rest with 12 months follow-up. Ten subjects performed RVE. Blood drawings and DXA measures were conducted regularly during and after bed rest. Bone resorption increased in the CTRL group with a less severe increase in the RVE group (p = 0.0004). Bone formation markers increased in the RVE group but decreased marginally in the CTRL group (p < 0.0001). At the end of bed rest, the CTRL group showed significant loss in leg bone mass (-1.8(0.9)%, p = 0.042) whereas the RVE group did not (-0.7(0.8)%, p = 0.405) although the difference between the groups was not significant (p = 0.12). The results suggest the countermeasure restricts increases in bone resorption, increased bone formation, and reduced bone loss during bed rest.