Vibration training intervention to maintain cartilage thickness and serum concentrations of cartilage oligometric matrix protein (COMP) during immobilization

Liphardt AM, Mündermann A, Koo S, et al. · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Just 14 days of bed rest thinned weight-bearing tibial cartilage by ~8%; brief daily vibration loading counteracted the loss — evidence in healthy humans that cartilage needs load, quickly.

Population

8 healthy men undergoing two 14-day bed-rest periods (crossover)

Intervention

14 days of strict bed rest; whole-body vibration (2x5 min/day) in one arm

Comparator

Bed rest without vibration

Limitations

Very small crossover experiment; healthy young men only; imaging over short duration; vibration effect size imprecise.