Building Bone Density and Bone Quality with Jumping

Bone density and bone quality are essential to a long healthy life. Lowered bone density and bone quality increase risk of fractures and negatively impact quality of life. Bone is living tissue that is constantly getting broken down and rebuilt. If we are breaking down bone faster than we are rebuilding it, we end up losing bone density and quality and can end up with osteopenia or osteoporosis. 

During childhood, bone density and quality are built naturally through physical activity or exercise. What types of physical exercise? Exercise or activity that creates high G-forces, specifically forces over 4 Gs.  

These same high impact forces are also what maintain our bone density throughout life. If we continue to do high impact activities on a regular basis we will maintain great bone density as we age. If we do not regularly do high impact exercise, we will slowly lose bone density and quality. No drug has been shown to be effective at building bone quality compared to exercise. 

How much of this high impact exercise do we need to do? Research tells us not that much. Research looking at adolescents activities throughout the day, show they average about 39 impacts of greater than 4 Gs each day. These 39 impacts represent less than 2% of all activity they did, but are the ones associated with building bone density. 

G-force matters - the bigger the better

Walking produces between 0.3 and 1.0 g of force. Stepping produces between 1.1 and 2.4 g of force. Jogging produces between 3.9 and 5.3 g of force. Jumping produces between 5.4 and 9.2 g of force. The types of activities that create 4 G forces are running faster than a 10 minute mile or jumping off something 15 inches high. 

Want to maintain or build bone density no matter your age? 

A study had 60 premenopausal women randomly split into two groups. One group performed 10 drop jumps with 30 seconds rest between jumps twice a day and the second group performed 20 drop jumps with 30 seconds rest between jumps twice a day. After 16 weeks, both groups saw increased bone density, but the 20 jump group saw significantly more bone mineral density improvements. 

Drop jumps are done by standing on something to start and then stepping off...

and landing on the ground with both legs. The impact of landing creates 4+ g's of force to stimulate bone growth.

You can start with heel drops. 

As the above research shows, doing a little bit of jumping can have big payoffs. If you're not used to jumping at all, you can even start with heel drops. 

Heel drops are where you stand with your knees straight (holding onto something for balance if needed), raise yourself up on the balls of your feet and then quickly drop your heels to the floor while keeping your knees straight. This creates a loading response through your leg bones and has been shown to produce 2+ g's of force. 

Heel drops are done by standing on a hard surface and raising up on the balls of feet as high as you can and then...

dropping your heels down fast to the floor while keeping your knees straight. The impact of your heels hitting the ground triggers your bones to get stronger.

To increase the G's produced, start jumping off something very small - maybe 2-4 inches high - like a book. Over time as you adapt, increase the height of the object you are jumping/stepping off to a stair, and then a step ladder, then finally a bench or chair as shown above in the drop jump example. And if your balance isn't great, hold onto something for support/balance as you do these. 

If you're healthy, I'd follow the recommendations from the jump study and jump off something landing on the ground to increase the G's of force to 4+ for maximum benefits. Doing 10-20 drop jumps with 30 seconds rest one to two times a day will trigger a lot of positive bone responses including improved quality and density of your leg and hip bones. ​

If you can't jump or do heel drops because of pain, contact me for a Free Posture Evaluation and I can help you improve your posture, decrease your pain, and improve your function so you're able to do the things that will keep your bones strong and healthy for decades to come! 

References: 
Bassey J, Ramsdale S. Weight-bearing exercise and ground reaction forces: a 12-month randomized controlled trial of effects on bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women. Bone, 1995 Apr;16(4):469-76

Montgomery G. Et al. The mechanical loading and muscle activation of four common exercises used in osteoporosis prevention for early postmenopausal women. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. Volume 44. February 2019, Pages 124-131

Ryan, Chloe & Clissold, Tracey & Winwood, Paul. (2021). The Osteogenic Quantification and Reliability of the Heel Drop and Press up Drop. International Journal of Science Technology and Society. 9. 294-300. 10.11648/j.ijsts.20210906.16. 

Tobias, Jonathan H., et al. “Physical Activity and Bone: May the Force Be with You.” Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 5, 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939444/, https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2014.00020. Accessed 6 Dec. 2019.

Tucker LA, Strong JE, LeCheminant JD, Bailey BW. Effect of two jumping programs on hip bone mineral density in premenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Health Promot. 2015 Jan-Feb;29(3):158-64. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.130430-QUAN-200. PMID: 24460005.