Osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) affect large numbers of the population. Around 8 million people in the UK are affected by OA and over 300,000 people present with fragility fractures in the UK each year. High impact exercise has been shown to improve markers of bone health but the effect of this exercise on the cartilage is less well understood. A six month, one leg, exercise program based on hopping will be carried out by a group of post-menopausal women. Post-menopausal women are particularly at risk from OP and the research should give information on the feasibility of this type of exercise program in this age group and the effect on cartilage. Participants will be aged between 55 and 70 (at least five years post menopause) with no conditions that would limit their ability to complete the exercise program. To assess changes in participants' cartilage and bone properties they will be asked to attend several meetings at Loughborough University. Before and after the exercise program participants will have bone density scans and MRI scans of the knee joint. A subset (n=4) will undergo high resolution bone scans that can demonstrate changes in bone structure. The intervention is a home based exercise programme lasting approximately 10 minutes per day. Initially this will be individualised to each participant with the end goal being daily exercise sessions. The programme will last for six months with supervised sessions offered throughout the trial. Using an intervention affecting just one leg will allow the research team to use the other leg as a control. The research team hypothesise that in a population of post-menopausal women, a six month, unilateral exercise intervention will improve bone mineral density at the proximal femur with no negative effects on articular cartilage.
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Change in T2 Relaxation Time (ms)
Timeframe: 6 months (pre and post intervention)